


Turtles and the Lizard Part 2

by dondena



Category: Monsters Inc (2001), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Action, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Teamwork, tense moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-08-03 22:31:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 54
Words: 221,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16334468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dondena/pseuds/dondena
Summary: Crossover. Continued adventures of our turtle heroes and their lizard friend. Some adventures retold from the series, but in a different way. AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> From any rewritten tales from the series of the turtles, I know I don't own the rights to the TMNT or Monsters, Inc. I just own the events and characters I came up with.
> 
> You should also read the first part too, if wondering what happened in the first one.

It had been just after Easter in Randall’s first spring after he had come to New York to live with the ninja turtle family after he had been banished from his own dimension, the Monster World. 

Due to traumas and misunderstanding with his past, there would always be things that plagued Randall’s mind that he would have to remind himself that he didn’t need to deal with those anymore, or just live in the moment and deal with things as they came along. 

Right now, he had a wonderful family who had taken him in and taught him many things and ideals. About honor and compassion. He had learned to care about others more so. And there were others that he would never care for. 

Randall was still living in the basement at April’s house. He did like his privacy and space when he wasn’t working, or spending time with his friends. 

Master Splinter, the wise rat, had taken it upon himself to teach Randall about how he had raised his sons, and he treated Randall as if he was one of them too, other than as a friend. All his life, Randall had wanted a strong male role model in his life, one that respected him, and he had thought he had had that in his old ex-boss, Mr. Waternoose, but it wasn’t so. Master Splinter was filling this void real good. The one he should have had a long time ago. 

Randall thrived on the friendship, kindness, respect, and sometimes playful competition from the turtles and human friends. He thrived on challenges. 

Leonardo still trained him in how to fight, though there were just some forms of fighting he would never fully master because of his unique body shape. He also taught him about honor and compassion, how to care for others, to be more selfless. He had also started teaching him about Japanese writing. 

Leo also didn’t blow up at Randall if he was mad about something. That was something he usually did with Raphael though. Randall knew how to stay out of the way when Leo and Raph started going at it. 

Randall and Raphael had an understanding with one another. They both could be hotheads at times. And they had friendly competitions with one another in training and playing games, even on the times when they patrolled together. 

If there was one turtle who loved to play games, it was Michelangelo. Mikey loved video games the most, but there was also tag and hide and seek, and then there was one game Randall loved: ping pong. 

Back in his other dimension, Randall had learned to be a pro at ping pong, but his version usually involved players with four arms. Here in this world, he had to downgrade it to two armed ping pong. 

And all thanks to Donatello and Leatherhead, Randall could see things perfectly. No longer did he have to wear glasses. Here, he hadn’t had to pay any money to get the surgery done, unlike in his own world. 

Randall enjoyed hanging out with Don, Leatherhead, and April a lot because of their smart ways of thinking. They worked on mechanics together and solved the family’s biggest issues when it came to the big time way of thinking. 

When he hung out with April, he still only thought of her as a friend. He knew she was taken by Casey Jones. He still worked in her shop. He was always careful in not letting other humans see him. His invisibility did him a lot of favors in letting him hide from humans and possible enemies, and he would gladly help scare off other humans who meant to do her harm. She had helped to save his life a few times as well. 

When it came to patrols, Randall didn’t go on them as frequently as the turtles did, which was just about every night of the week. He went a couple of times a week. Or when he felt he needed some air. 

Randall loved the independence that he had. All his life, he had been such a workaholic. Now his new life allowed him to do what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do them mostly. But he would never be able to just be accepted and be free to walk openly on the streets like a human.  
……………

At the end of April, one night when the turtles were on a patrol, they were all ambushed by the Foot clan again. They were all outnumbered. So much so that all four brothers were injured in quite a bad way. 

Don suffered some cuts on his arms and legs, Mikey had a broken arm and cut on his head, Raph had a sprained ankle and broken wrist, and Leo had gotten cut on one his sides, a long cut on his right leg, and a cut on the cheek. 

Using the remote that Don had managed to carry with him that night, he called the Battle Shell with it, and all four of them just barely managed to escape the Foot before they were dealt crushing blows. 

When they pulled into the warehouse, they were all more than glad to be home, but now, they all had the dilemma of needing help to get these injuries taken care of. They took the elevator to the bottom of their lair. When they stepped out, Leo had Raph’s arm wrapped around his shoulders because of his ankle. 

Using the basic first aid kit in the truck, the ones who hadn’t drove home had their wounds wrapped in minor bandages that the blood was now soaking through. 

“Father! We need your help!” Leo called out to Splinter when the elevator door opened. 

Splinter came out of his room. “What is it, Leonardo?” Then he saw the shape of his sons. “What has happened to you?” He asked, concerned. 

“The Foot ambushed us.” Don exclaimed. 

They all headed for the infirmary. Don called April up. 

“Hello.” April said. 

“April, it’s Don. We were on a patrol tonight and got attacked by the Foot. Can you come down and help us? We were all hurt pretty good.” 

“Yes. I’ll be right there, Don.” April said and hung up. 

She went to get the first aid kit of hers, plus additional medical supplies in her basement, and that was when she also knocked on Randall’s door. He was watching a movie. 

Randall gave a little growl as the movie was just getting good. He heard the knock. What now? He got up and answered his door. “What is it?” He saw that it was April. 

“The guys ran into trouble tonight, Randall. I’m going to need your help.” She stated. 

“Alright. I’m not much of a doctor though.” Randall said and he quickly turned off his TV before going with her to the lair. 

When they got to the lair, they went to the infirmary, where Don and Splinter were trying to tend to wounds as best they could at the moment. 

Randall saw that his friends were badly injured. 

Leo needed the most stitches, both in his side and his leg. April began taking his bandages off and stitching his wounds the best she could. Leo tolerated it quite well. He just didn’t like medications. 

Splinter was treating Raph for his broken wrist and sprained ankle. 

Randall helped set Mikey’s broken arm. Don sewed up his own wounds and Mike and Raph’s. April helped Don as well to make sure the stitches were accurate. 

All four turtles spent the rest of the night in the infirmary. 

“Guys.” Leo spoke up. 

“Yeah, Leo.” Raph said. 

“I think that after what happened tonight is more than enough to take from the Foot clan. I think it’s time we started on how to get rid of them, or at the least, getting rid of the Shredder.” Leo explained. 

“Was the Shredder even there?” April asked. 

“No. Just his cronies.” Don said. “I can agree to that, Leo.” 

“I would love to take that bastard down!” Raph said angrily. 

“Language, Raphael.” Splinter warned. “But yes, I get what you mean, my sons. He must be dealt with, but not until you are all well again.” 

“I know I’d love to take him down too, after what he did to me.” Randall agreed too, making a fist. 

“Taking on the Shredder won’t be easy though.” Leo said. “We’d have to face his army and his Elite Guards. Maybe even the Foot Mystics too, if we take the battle to him at his home again.” 

“That would be the best place to take it to him, Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

They would begin battle planning for when the time was right. It would be at least several weeks while some wounds and broken bones mended. 

For the next few days, April and Randall stayed down in the lair to help with anything the turtles needed. Casey even came down when he heard what had happened. 

Once things were dealt with just fine that Don and Splinter could take care of, as Don had the least severe injuries, April and Casey went back to April’s apartment. Randall chose to stay longer. 

Randall gave Mikey a break by handling the cooking duties for them. He also got the medical supplies out from the cabinets and bathroom too as needed. 

It was hardest on Leo and Raph to have to stop training, but it was necessary so they didn’t rip any stitches, or harm any broken bones still healing. 

Mikey was the one that milked the injury the most. He wanted everyone to just pay attention to him. It even got on Randall’s nerves too. Randall didn’t blame Raph for wanting to hit him. But Mikey also had that wound on his head. 

When Randall got too annoyed with Mikey’s whining, he would go back to April’s. Though Mike’s bros didn’t have much of a choice but to stay and deal with it.


	2. Chapter 2

A couple of months later, when the wounds were all healed and broken bones mended, training started up again and it was often pretty strict and hard to wear them all down. But if they were going to take down the Shredder, they had to be prepared. 

Donatello made sure that they had all they would need to take down even Foot Tech ninjas. To see them even if they were invisible. But then, was it wise to take on the Shredder at his base, or somewhere else? 

Raph knew that the Shredder often went down to the docks to secure weapons for his empire. Maybe it would be better to take him on down there than at his base. Hence, not all of his men would be with him down there. A few yes, and there could always be back up, but there was more of a fighting chance. 

Raph and Casey began doing stakeouts down at the docks to find out what shipments were going to the Saki Enterprises. And they even began inviting Don as well to help destroy these shipments. 

Shredder always got so mad when his business arrangements went down in flames. He had been told it was a man and some little green men doing it. He knew it was the turtles. They were interfering in his affairs way too much. They would need to be dealt with, once and for all. 

When he usually went out on business affairs, he was not wearing his armor. It would make him maybe a little bit easier, if just slightly to take down, as he didn’t have the pointed spikes on his human body suit. But his fighting skills were still sharp. 

As the turtles and Splinter were aiming to take the Shredder down at the docks instead of at his home base, that way he was away from the majority of his Foot soldiers, Randall was being involved with this plan too. 

“You said that the Shredder is an Utrom. What does he look like exactly?” Randall asked. 

“He looks like a bright, pink blob of brain in the stomach of a human suit is what he looks like.” Raph admitted. “He jumped on my head the first time I saw him and I couldn’t get him off. He may be small, but he’s a nasty little bugger.” 

“And that’s saying something since he doesn’t have a body.” Mikey added. 

“He also has tentacles that are his hands and feet when he’s not controlling a machine.” Don said. “He has sharp teeth too.” 

Now Randall could understand how this Utrom had stayed on Raph’s head. The tentacles. He just wanted to be prepared for this sight too. He had heard much about it. 

Mikey even drew him a picture what he remembered what he looked like. He also drew a different Utrom, one that was friendly, like Mortu. 

Randall saw the difference between them. Mikey’s picture reference was pretty accurate when his brothers and father saw the pictures.   
……………

Lately, the Shredder had been dealing with a guy named Ruffington down at the docks. He was wanting his barge loaded with the cargo. 

All the turtles, Casey, Splinter, and Randall were down here to stake out the warehouse and wait for the Shredder to come to this business deal. Raph and Casey were sure he would be here. 

And indeed, at 11 on the dot, the Shredder came in his limo to talk to this Ruffington that his loading speed was a disappointment. 

Don was using some binoculars at the moment to see what was going on inside the warehouse. They were all on top of the warehouse, looking down. Earlier, Leo and Raph had snuck inside and planted some explosives of their own onto some of the Shredder’s cargo. 

The limo was pulling into the warehouse now and stopped. Oruku Saki got out of his car. 

Randall saw the guy in his human look. Right now, he looked just like a boss, as he was at that. 

The turtles were glad that Randall had killed Hun, because that big ape bodyguard was always around usually, and he had been tough to fight at times, how it was in the past. 

Shredder went up to the blonde man that wore glasses. 

“Ruffington, if my barge is not full by dawn, you can kiss your job for me goodbye.” Shredder threatened. 

“I’ve been going as fast as I can, Mr. Saki, but things keep getting delayed because of these vigilantes.” Ruffington exclaimed. 

“Just get the job done by dawn.” Shredder ordered. 

“Yes, Sir.” Ruffington said grumpily. He was tired of his business being threatened. 

“Now, my sons.” Splinter said. “Now is the time.” 

At that, just as Shredder was heading for his car, there was the sound of glass breaking, making the humans look up in shock and down came some green creatures. Along with a grey rat and human ally of their own. Randall stayed up on top to wait. He made himself vanish. 

“What?! The turtles!” Shredder said angrily. 

“We’re here to shut you down for good, Shredder!” Leo shouted at him. He pointed a katana at him. 

Shredder was a bit unprepared for this, as he didn’t have his armor with him. But he knew he could take these reptiles and their master even as he was. 

“You will not stop me!” Shredder growled back. He readied himself for a fight.

“We’ll see about that!” Don replied back. 

The turtles and Splinter moved in to attack the Shredder and the henchmen that were around, as they began to try to fight back. These were Ruffington’s workmen. They all instantly grabbed for a gun or a pipe or something to try to knock these enemies out or kill them. They were tired of their interfering too. 

Randall made his way in through the window, but still kept a low profile. He was on the ceiling, but was making his way down to the floor, but just staying above it. 

While his friends were fighting the henchmen, Shredder was trying to get back to his car. He pulled a summoner out of his pocket and pressed it. It was to summon his Foot ninjas that were the closest. They should be here soon. 

Splinter managed to get to the Shredder and knock him back away from the car. “You will not leave, Shredder. We are going to finish this!” 

“Nothing would make me happier, rodent!” Saki said to him angrily. 

Splinter and Saki squared off and went head to head. Saki threw punches and kicks his way. Splinter would dodge and jump away or block his blows with his stick. 

It didn’t take too much for the turtles to deal with Ruffington and his workmen. They weren’t ninjas and most were unconscious or had run away. So had Ruffington. He didn’t want to get caught. Besides, it wasn’t his fight with the turtles. They were after his boss. 

The turtles now came to the their father’s aid. They were ready and willing to deal with the Shredder. They normally weren’t killers, but this was just one enemy who had killed millions of other beings throughout the galaxy and here on Earth with no mercy or honor, even though they didn‘t know that. He had to be dealt with, and before his minions would show up. Likely, there were already some on the way here. 

All the turtles and Splinter and Casey began to attack the body suit, and Saki knocked them away most of the time, but there were a few hits in that started to make the damage known that this was not a human at all. 

Leo and Raph’s weapons got the best blows in that started to disable the body’s power sources. 

Randall was seeing the robot body that the turtles had talked about. He saw a partial grey on the face under the human artwork, with a red eye. 

Aside from the stick he used, Splinter was also using a bow and arrows. Splinter shot at the enemy a few times and he just pushed the arrows away like they were nothing at all. But when Splinter managed to get an arrow into the stomach area, the Shredder screamed in pain and rage. He immediately pulled the arrow out, and that was when his attacks became even more ferocious. 

The turtles were kicked into boxes and the walls. So was Casey. The blow to Casey’s head knocked him out. Splinter was the only one facing him. But when the turtles came back at him, they got to where the body was being even more disabled. 

Splinter leaped over the robot body and using a chain from an open box, he swung the chain onto the head of the robot and gave a big jerk. It knocked the body over finally. 

That was when Leo came up and sliced the clothing off the middle, making the pink Utrom appear to them, if ever so angrily. 

“It’s over, Shredder!” Don declared to him. 

“I don’t think so. My Foot ninjas approach even now.” 

“You will never command the Foot again!” Leo said. 

“Let’s just squish him now!” Raph had his sais at the ready. He wanted to do him in so bad. 

The Utrom growled and jumped onto Raph’s head again. Raph tried to get him off, with his cries being muffled. 

“What? Speak up. I can’t hear you.” Shredder mocked him. 

Randall couldn’t believe he was seeing what he was seeing. But then, he knew his role in this. He got down from the wall and went over. 

Even Leo was having trouble getting the ugly little pink blob off of Raph’s head. 

Being invisible meant the enemy couldn’t see him without special goggles. Randall got close enough to Raphael, and though he didn’t act like an animal a lot of times, a good weapon Randall did have was his teeth. 

Randall growled a bit and he gave it all he got. He closed his sharp teeth on the backside of the pink blob. He bit down hard, and he soon tasted blood in his mouth. 

The Shredder cried out so loud that he finally let go of Raph’s head and he was pulled off. There was some shaking of him and then he was thrown into a box. 

It dazed him for a moment, but he was still kicking. He growled at his enemies. 

Raph was glad he was free of the blob on his face. Now he just wanted to end it. 

Just as the blob was trying to get near them again, an arrow went through the air and into the Utrom’s head. Splinter had shot it. 

Randall finally appeared to them. He was standing next to Raph. He had purplish blood on his mouth and teeth. 

The Shredder cried out for a second, but then, he fell over, dead. 

“Well, we finally did it.” Leo said. 

“We took out the Shredder!” Mikey said with a smile. 

“Yes, now we must get out of here before the rest of the Foot show up.” 

“Let’s get Casey and go home.” Leo said. 

Raph and Leo picked up Casey and carried him out of the warehouse to where their truck was and they got out of there before the Foot finally arrived. 

The mutant family and Randall were glad it had gone as it had. Now they would never have to deal with the Shredder again, but there was still his clan to deal with. More than likely, one of them would step forward to take his place. But it would be a human, not an evil Utrom. 

When the Foot finally did arrive, they saw their boss’s remains of a robot, and a little pink blob with an arrow sticking out of its head. There was blood coming from its backside and the front from the arrow wound. There were teeth marks from where Randall had bit him, and bit him good and hard to draw the blood. 

The Foot had been informed of the Utrom race for a long time, but they had never known that their head honcho was an Utrom too. This was a surprise. New leadership would arise later. 

The turtles, Splinter, and Randall got Casey back to their lair and bandaged his head, letting him rest on their couch. He woke up soon after. The others were all by him. Randall had also cleaned his mouth off. 

Casey’s vision was blurry at first, but soon focused. 

“So, did we win?” Casey asked dizzily. 

“Yes, Casey. The Shredder is finished.” Leo replied. “How are you feeling?” 

“My head hurts, but fine.” 

“You hit your head pretty hard on the wall.” Don said. 

“And thanks, Randall, for getting the Shredder off of my head.” Raph said to the purple lizard. 

“Welcome.” Randall replied. 

“You must have bit the Shredder pretty hard to draw his blood, didn’t you, Randall?” Don admitted. 

“Yes. I could taste it too. Nothing I would want for food. Just glad to be able to get him out of the picture.” Randall responded. 

“Yeah, now we don’t have to worry about the Shredder anymore.” Raph said. 

“Yes, my sons, but we can’t let our guard down. They will surely seek revenge against us for slaying their master.” Splinter warned. 

“We’ll worry about that when the time comes, Master.” Leo said. “We’re just glad our battle with the Shredder is over on that part.” 

“Yes. My Master Yoshi’s spirit can finally rest in peace.” Splinter said. 

Casey stayed and he was kept an eye on to make sure he didn’t have a concussion. He would have to take it easy for a few days. 

Randall may not have fought much in this battle against the Shredder, but he was glad to have helped at all. And he hadn’t gotten hurt this time when facing him. Chances were that the Shredder hadn’t even known what was biting him. And even if he did know, it was too late for him now. 

The next day, Casey was taken to April’s, where he continued resting under her watchful eyes, plus Randall’s too at times. 

Randall had heard the story of what had happened to Splinter’s sensei too. Splinter had even shown a picture of him in his room to Randall before. Splinter had also said that he had been born a normal rat in Japan, but came here to this city with his master before the Shredder and his Foot clan had killed him. And it was shortly after that that Splinter had found the turtles.


	3. Chapter 3

Randall had found a wonderful life here in the human world, but he often wondered really what would happen if he ever tried going back to the monster world. He did miss some aspects of it, like being able to walk around freely on a daily basis. Hiding in secrecy all the time was very irritating a lot of the time when he wanted to go somewhere. 

The Shredder had been his friends’ most persistent enemy, and they were glad he was now out of the way. And there would probably still be the Foot clan to deal with. Hun was out of the way too thanks to Randall. 

Another enemy the mutants had to worry about popping up was Agent Bishop. And he could do far worse, since he was after an army of super soldiers. Randall knew better than to give information about his world to him. The turtles had told him that even though they had banished him, it would be for the better that he never told Bishop anything. He would be capable of destroying the world. 

Awhile back, when Bishop had kidnapped Master Splinter, Randall saw first hand how dangerous he was. And having experienced some torture at his hands before, there was no way he was giving him any information, even at the risk of his own life.   
……………

Back in the Monster World, it had been over a year since Randall Boggs had lived there. His disappearance to many was a mystery, but there were many who didn’t miss him one bit, since he had been nothing but the biggest jerk to many. 

Mike Wazowski was really glad he was gone most of all. 

James P. Sullivan had been glad to punish Randall at the time he had thrown him through that door to protect his human friend, Boo. But it had been a long time now since Randall had been heard from, and Sulley was beginning to feel guilty about what he had done to the lizard. He often wondered if Randall was still alive. 

The factory had now changed to Laugh energy instead of Scream. Sulley knew that Randall wouldn’t fit in with the new way things were. Randall had never been much of a happy guy, at least that he had seen, and when he was, it was at the wrong things. 

Once Mr. Waternoose had been arrested, it had taken about a month to get the factory back up and running because there was no CEO in charge, and the board of directors had to find a new one, and like pronto at the time. 

Mike had actually given Sulley the idea of laughs that could power their world, and of course, he remembered during the door chase and when he and Mike had first discovered that a human kid could really power up their electricity with laughing. 

Sullivan had talked to the board of directors about that laughter was ten times more powerful than screams. And it would save them from the energy crisis. 

The head monsters on the board had been hesitant to try it, but once they gave the go ahead, Sulley was pleased. But he was a little more shocked when they asked him to be the new CEO. 

New canisters had had to be made to collect children’s laughter because it was powerful. They were much larger than the scream cans had been. 

Mike found himself becoming the company’s number one comedian. He had always been that way, as well as a good coach. He liked doing this more than just being the assistant, though he was proud of Sulley back when he was doing all the work as a scarer. 

It had been over a year since the two friends had secretly banished Randall, and even Randall’s former assistant, Fungus was doing a good job in the factory. He was even a comedian himself, and doing a good job of it. He was even happier, he didn’t stutter so much when he talked now because he wasn’t being threatened all the time. 

Sulley had had a depression since he had taken Boo home and her door shredded, but in secret, Mike had been going through wood shreds and putting her door back together and he finally surprised Sulley with the door, and when Sulley put the final piece back in place, the door was now activated once again. This door would be kept as a secret from CDA. 

Sulley found himself a lot happier now that he was seeing Boo again, as he had deemed her. But he was still thinking of what he had done to Randall. 

Would banishment ever be lifted from the monster world as punishment? Why couldn’t they just go to prison, like Waternoose had? Randall should have been in jail, not the human world. 

Sulley would have been happy to look for him, but who knows if he was dead or alive by now, and he could have wandered off. But he could be looking for a way back for revenge too. Maybe he was back and just biding time for revenge against them. 

Mike feared revenge from Randall should he ever return. 

The CDA was on the lookout for Randall too. Waternoose had revealed that he had been part of a conspiracy working with him to take over the city. He wanted Randall to take the blame of punishment even more than him. 

If Randall ever returned, he would be arrested, but there would be a hearing for him to see what his fate would be. Talking to witnesses and the lizard himself would determine it, as well as what his testimony was.   
……………..

Weeks later, after the Shredder’s demise, the Foot Elite were stepping up as the new leaders of the Foot and were wanting to rule the city and take down their enemies, including the turtles and their comrades. 

The Mob and Purple Dragons were also looting the joint and fighting with the ninjas too. All these baddies were trying to get a hold of the Shredder’s empire. 

At the lair, the family was seeing it on the news. 

Randall saw it on the news too, which meant that he and the turtles would have to be extra super careful about when they went on patrols. But it was easy for Randall to get away from these enemies, as he could easily vanish, but the turtles couldn’t, at least not in the physical sense. They could only hide. 

The city had been at war once before, but the Shredder had come back into the picture before things got out of hand. This time, it was permanent. New leadership was trying to figure its way into the picture to take Shredder’s place. 

In Japan, there was a girl practicing her fighting skills. It turned out that she was the adopted daughter of Oruku Saki. Her name was Karai. 

She had been raised and trained by the Shredder. But her fighting style was its own, a quite a bit faster and often times, even more extreme too. 

Her phone suddenly began to ring. She went to get it. “Yes.” She said. 

“Mistress Karai. It is as we feared. The city of New York is at war.” The male voice said on the line. 

“I see. Thank you.” Then she hung up. 

Karai knew what it meant if the city was at war. It would be her job to restore the Foot to the top of the ranks. She ordered her jet be filled because she and her men were headed there. 

Once on the way there, she was given a laptop that had a security coverage of some strange creatures fighting the Mob and Purple Dragons at one time. It was just four green creatures.

She smiled. This was something new. “Interesting.” She said. 

Karai vowed she would catch up with these strange creatures and talk business with them. She had yet to see if these creatures were her friends or enemies. After all, they had killed her father, but only because he had been so dangerous.   
……………

In New York, Leonardo was feeling the most responsible for what was happening to the city. He felt like it was his fault that because the Shredder was gone, now the city was at war again. He wanted to stop it, but he didn’t know how to. 

After a failed attempt at getting his sword into an aimed target board where he really wanted it to go, Leo was saddened. 

Then Splinter came up to him. “Is there something wrong, Leonardo?” 

“I just feel like what’s going on above is our fault, Sensei.” Leo replied. 

“We did the city a favor.” Raph came over out of nowhere. 

“He was dangerous, Leo. We had no choice.” Don said. 

“It still feels like it’s my fault.” Leo said. 

“We can’t stop a whole war, Leo.” Mikey said. 

“I just feel like I have to do something.” Leo said. 

“Right now, Leonardo, you must let this go.” Splinter said. 

“I can’t, Father. I can’t!” Leo said and began to leave the lair. 

“Leonardo! Leonardo!” Splinter called after him, but he was gone. 

Raph wasn’t too happy about this either. He and Leo had recently been out on patrol together and had gotten into a fight about what was happening. He knew Leo felt responsible, but he didn’t. He was liking not having to fight the Foot all the time anymore under Shredder’s orders and not having to worry about Mr. Spiky Pants, as Mikey had once called him that. 

The family knew that Leo was going to be out there trying to find a solution to trying to stop this war going on in the city. It was going on and even some innocent people were getting caught in the cross fires. 

Leo went out on a solo mission to just see what he could do. And if he had to delay going back to the lair for awhile, he would. He was old enough to take care of himself. 

But Splinter was too worried about him. 

“There is a chance Leonardo might get into trouble without you there to help him get out of it. Go and find your brother.” Splinter ordered Don, Raph, and Mikey. 

Raph was still ticked about this, but he went with his brothers to find their leader.

The trio of turtle brothers searched all over the city for Leo, and they figured to try to find him by any place that had Foot activity going on would be best. At least it was a start. 

They later did find Leo on an old building that was real run down, that looked like a fire had taken it to shambles. From their perspective, when Leo took out his swords, it looked like he was about to take on the whole Foot clan, and from the last time he had taken them on all at once, there would be no good chance he would make it out from being uninjured. They couldn’t let that happen. They had to stop him. 

Leo had his katanas in his hands. “Looks like it’s just me, against all of them.” He said in a low voice, trying to get the proper go ahead feeling of going down to face the enemy, the Foot ninjas, all of them, and there were many of them, close to 100 or more. 

All of a sudden, Leo felt someone grab his arms and pull him away from the hole in the building. “Hey! What the-! Let me go!” He shouted. Then he saw it was his brothers. 

There was a chance the Foot had heard them. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Leo asked. 

“Making sure you don’t get into something that you can’t get out of on your own.” Don replied. 

“We shouldn’t be here, Leo. This ain’t our war.” Raph said in a low voice. 

“Any chance the Foot heard us?” Mikey asked. His question was soon answered as tons of Foot ninja gathered on top of the building. “Yep, I think they heard us.” Mikey said.


	4. Chapter 4

The four turtles all took out their weapons at the ready to defend themselves from the ninjas. They were seriously outnumbered, but at least Leo wasn’t here by himself. Last time, facing all the ninjas by himself nearly cost him his life, as well as a few other times. 

The turtles all tried to make sure to stay close together to defeat these ninjas. At least staying in a pair. 

Ninjas took Mikey down into the building, and Raph went after him. Don and Leo were up on the roof a little longer, but joined them. 

Soon, it looked like they were all backed against the wall and all the ninjas were facing each one of them, one at a time, or in a group, but all wanting a chance to deal with the turtles. Their boss was gone, but it didn’t make them any less enemies. 

Soon, there were some mobsters that drove up outside and decided to blow up the building. They had put dynamite up on the outside of it. 

The building being blown up came as quite a surprise to the ninjas and the turtles and they all tried to get out as fast as they could. Don advised getting beneath a bar that would protect them from the whole roof falling on them. 

After the building was destroyed, the turtles were struggling to hold the bar up. 

“I really hope doing the right thing was worth this, Leo!” Raph growled. 

“Getting involved was not a mistake, Raph!” Leo retorted back. 

“Guys! Let’s continue this discussion elsewhere!” Don said, “On my mark, one, two, three!” 

The brothers had all been shaking and struggling to hold the bar after some debris had come crashing onto it. It had saved them from being buried under the debris of the building. 

“At least someone had a good idea that didn’t kill us.” Raph said. 

Leo glared at his brother angrily. “So you’re saying this is my fault?” 

“Yes, I am. This wasn’t our fight to begin with!” Raph shouted back at him. 

“Yeah, well. Guess what, hothead?! It’s our fight now!” Leo yelled back. 

“So this was the honorable thing to do? Stick your nose where it didn’t belong?!” Raph mocked him. 

“We have to stop this war, Raphael!” Leo shouted back. 

“Guys, we have company.” Mikey said. There were a bunch of ninjas gathering around them now. 

The turtles were soon defending themselves against the ninjas. 

Mikey soon took to the rooftops, with a bunch of ninjas chasing after him. His three bros were locked in combat with the rest of them. 

Mikey was one fast turtle. He grabbed a satellite pipe and threw it at one of the ninjas and it hit him dead on. The rest kept on coming. He ran and jumped over several rooftops, leading them further away from the fight. 

Soon, he came to a rooftop that had a further distance to the ones next to it, and it had clothes lines in between them. Mikey saw an advantage here. He saw something that could help him. He jumped down and the ninjas followed. 

When they touched the ground, the ninjas didn’t see him anywhere. They soon found an open door and went in there, thinking he had gone in there. 

Up above, Mikey came out of his hiding spot. “Ha! King-sized bedding. A ninja’s best friend.” He said in a low voice. 

At April’s building, April had gotten some new products to add to the list to sell. Casey and Randall were helping her to bring them in and stock them. The shop was closed at this time. 

Casey, at the moment, was carrying some glass tea cups on a tray. April saw that and he looked like he was about ready to drop them. She came over. 

“Can I take that from you, Casey?” April asked. 

“What? Don’t you trust me?” Casey joked. 

April took the tray from him anyway before he could drop it. “About as far as I can throw you, Casey Jones.” She said. 

Randall had seen it and smirked. He knew Casey was often clumsy when it came to the fragile things. So he didn’t blame April for being protective of it. It was her livelihood for the moment. 

But then, Mikey came into the store and stood right in front of her, surprising her. It made her drop the tray and glass going everywhere. 

“Oh! What do you want?” She said in a disgusted tone. “Why do you keep making me do that?” 

“It’s a ninja thing.” Mikey said. “Sorry. But my bros and I are currently in the middle of this big fight-.” 

“Big fight? Why wasn’t I told?” Casey asked. 

“I was being chased by a bunch of Foot ninja.” Mikey continued. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Michelangelo, you’re telling me that you came in here because you were being chased by a bunch of Foot ninja?! My new building that had been burnt to the ground and rebuilt building because you’re being chased by a bunch of Foot ninjas?!” April exploded at him. 

Randall heard those words too. He was glad he hadn’t been here when that had happened then if it made her temper explode like that. 

“Yeah, right, I was- oh sorry, April. I wasn’t thinking. I better get out of here before they find me here.” Mikey said. 

“Wait, Mikey, I’ll come with ya. April, can we borrow your wheels?” Casey asked. 

“Absolutely, I mind!” April said. 

“Then I guess Mikey and I can just stay here.” Casey said sarcastically. 

“Uh, it’s on the street.” April tossed Casey the keys to her van. 

“Thank you.” Casey said and he and Mikey left. 

Randall walked up next to her. “I should go too.” 

“Randall, I need someone here to help me finish stocking these supplies. And if I need backup in case they do show up here.” April said. 

“Alright.” Randall gave in. He didn’t really want to face the Foot anyway. But he did want to be there for his friends. He ended up staying out of this fight. 

When Randall walked away to get the next batch of supplies, April looked out the window and said, “Stay safe.” She meant that for all the turtles and Casey. 

Casey drove the van to where Mikey said his brothers were to pick them up and get them out of the predicament they were in. 

Raph and Leo were still arguing here and there. Then a green and white van pulled up. Mikey opened the door. “Anyone need a lift?” 

“Mikey!” Raph greeted happily. 

All the brothers smiled that Mikey had gotten some help that was able to get them out of that jam. They hurriedly got in and Casey got them out of there. The turtles hadn’t been sure they were even going to make it out of that fight. 

Leo told Casey where to go because he didn’t want to risk leading anyone back to the lair.   
…………….

At the airport, Karai’s jet had landed, and she and her two henchmen went to track down these turtle men who had destroyed her father. 

On the news, there was word of a building that had been demolished out of nowhere and fire trucks were there now, putting out the flames. Karai decided that the turtles had been there and she and her men would look around that area. Surely, they hadn’t gotten far from there.   
…………….

Leo directed Casey to take them to a building he had decided to stay on in an old water tower that was empty of water. He had made a temporary home there and his brothers and Casey were now here to figure out their next move. 

Raph was still miffed that his brother wasn’t taking the hint and they should stay out of the gang wars. 

“So, what’s with the new digs?” Casey asked.

“I was staying here because I wasn’t going to risk leading anyone back to the lair should I have been followed.” Leo replied. 

Raph gave a loud growl of anger. “Again, I say this isn’t our fight, Leo.” 

Then Leo and Raph started arguing some more. Mikey and Don were beside themselves and sat down, then Mikey said to Casey, “You might want to have a seat. This could take awhile.” 

Outside, what they didn’t know at the moment, was that some Japanese humans had tracked them down. One of the men set an explosive on the bottom of the tower. It went off after ten seconds. 

Leo and Raph’s voices had been what had drawn Karai and her men there. 

The turtles and Casey were all taken by surprise when the explosive went off, but it gave them all just enough notice to be prepared for a fall. The floor gave out from under them and they all fell. The turtles all landed on their feet from years of practice and it wasn’t that far a fall. Casey on the other hand, landed on his butt, his golf bag beside him. 

The two men were there to see first. Then Karai jumped in front of them. 

Casey got to his feet and all the turtles and Casey got their weapons ready. They knew they were under attack, but who was this? 

Karai took out her sword. “Turtle men. I have a matter to discuss with you. My name is Karai. I am here to restore faction to the Foot.”

“I got your order right here, Lady!” Raph growled. He pulled out his sais, ready for a fight. 

“Stand down, Raph.” Leo ordered. 

“No!” Raph yelled back. “I’m really sick of listening to you!” 

“I said, stand down, Raph.” Leo repeated. 

But Raphael didn’t listen, and then he decided to attack Karai and her men. Karai fought back and knocked him onto his shell. Then Karai jumped into the air and was fixing to bring her sword into Raph’s chest. 

Leo wouldn’t let her hurt his brother and blocked her sword with his. Then he kicked her away. 

She caught herself and then her men attacked. 

Leo stood where he was while Don, Casey, and Mikey charged in to take on her men. Then Leo joined them. 

Leo took on Karai while his brothers fought the sidekick men. 

The ninja men easily could knock Don and Mike and Casey all aside. It happened several times. 

Raph and Leo were soon fighting Karai together, and she was quite formidable. She was fast in her movements. 

At one point, she had kicked Leo down, and as she was coming in for the hit, Leo saw her coming and braced himself and kicked her away that was similar to how a horse kicked with its hind legs. It knocked Karai clear away, and down near the wall. 

She was out for a moment and Leo walked over to her, thinking it was over, but stayed alert. But he wasn’t far enough away and she came to and kicked him in the chest, knocking him down. Then she jumped next to him, one of her feet put on his stomach with her sword pointed at his head. 

“Now, as I said, we have a matter to discuss, with or without your leader. It is your choice.” Karai warned Leo’s stunned brothers and Casey. 

Leo did feel afraid for his own life, but was trying not to show it. He had to be strong for his family. 

"Drop your weapons!” Karai ordered. 

None of them moved. 

“I said, drop your weapons.” Karai said again. She moved her sword closer to Leo’s throat. Leo groaned and looked at the others. 

The others finally gave in and dropped their weapons, all but Raph. Then Don said to him, “Uh, Raph, didn’t you hear the nice lady with the knife?” 

Raph growled, thinking he would try to save Leo, even though he was still mad at him. 

Leo looked at Raph, “Don’t do me any favors, Raph.” he said. 

Raph growled again and reluctantly threw his sais over by Leo. 

“Good. Perhaps now we can talk.” Karai said. 

“Oh, you wanna talk? Because I had the thought that you wanted to kick our shells.” Don said. 

“If I had wanted to destroy you, you would not be alive to talk.” Karai said. 

“Okay, let’s talk.” Leo said. “But it’s going to be difficult with your tanto at my head.” Then Karai stepped off of him and let him up. 

Leo got himself to his feet, and that was when Raph deemed it safe to try to kill the enemy. But Leo blocked him again. 

“Raph, no! I gave her my word of honor.” Leo said. 

“Your honor! Bro, you are really gettin’ under my shell!” Raph yelled at Leo. 

“Come on, Raph. Let’s hear what the pretty ninja lady has to say.” Casey laid a hand on his shoulder. Raph growled, but relaxed just enough for Karai to continue. 

“As I told you. My name is Karai.” One of her men then gave her an emblem and she held it out to the turtles to see. It had the Foot Clan symbol on it. “And I am here to restore honor to the New York faction of the Foot.” 

She went on to explain that she hadn’t expected to see the city torn apart and that she wanted their help to help stop the war going on between the Mob, Purple Dragons, and the Foot. But her goal was to get the city back under the Foot’s control. 

Raph hated listening to her at all. He didn’t trust her. He really wanted to take her on again. He tried once again, but Don and Mikey stopped him this time. 

“Look, lady. We don’t know how we could help you. We’re kind in over our heads as it is.” Don explained. 

“Yes, I know.” She said. “But I need your help to stop this war. And all plans must have their contingencies. Make your decision.” 

The band of guys got in a circle to talk it over. 

“What do you think, guys?” Leo asked. 

“The Turtles team up with the Foot? It sounds crazy.” Don shook his head. 

“I don’t know, Leo.” Mikey said, unsure. 

“There’s no way I’m teaming up with Little Miss Foot.” Raph said. 

“Look, it may be a deal with the devil, but at least it’s a devil we know.” Leo said. 

“There seems to be one result missing from this equation.” Don said, then turned to Karai. “Excuse me, but what’s in it for us?” He asked. 

“Three things; One, You can save New York from being torn apart; Two, You can free the streets of the Purple Dragons and the Mob; and Three, The Foot and the Foot Elite are honor bound to slay the ones who defeated their master. They will destroy you, your master, and your comrades. They will be relentless. But if you help us, there will be no revenge for the Shredder’s destruction.” Karai explained. 

Raph had heard enough. “There ain’t no way I’m teaming up with her!” 

“Raph, listen to me. We have to take this opportunity.” 

“Oh, is that the honorable thing to do?! You guys can be her fighters, but not me. I’m out of here. You comin,’ Case?” Raph said. 

Casey knew he had to stay. “You know what, Raph? I was always taught, that you fix your mistakes. I’m stayin.’” he stated. 

Raph growled. “Whatever!” Then he leaped off the building. He just wanted to get as far enough away from Leo and the enemy as possible. 

Casey and the three remaining turtles stayed there. Karai came over. “Well?” She asked, wanting their decision. 

Leo put his hands together in doing an honorable alliance. “We accept your offer of alliance.” 

“But no funny stuff.” Mikey added. 

“We’ve never had much reason to trust the Foot before.” Don said. 

“The Foot has never had to ask for aid before.” Karai said. “Now listen. We haven’t much time…” She began her plan.   
……………..

After Randall had gotten done stocking the supplies in April’s store, he went down to the lair to see if things had settled down or talk to Splinter about what was going on. The Foot had never went into April’s store and was bored. He wanted to know what was going on. 

Splinter was meditating when Randall came in. “Hi, Master Splinter. What’s going on with your sons lately?” 

“Hello, Randall. Leonardo has been feeling like the final fight with the Shredder was his fault and he feels responsible for what’s happening in the gang wars above ground. He wants to put a stop to it, and I don’t know how he would be able to handle it alone. I sent his brothers after him.” Splinter explained. 

“I know. Mike came in and got Casey. He said he was running from a fight with the Foot. Have you heard anything else?” Randall asked. 

“No, I’m afraid not.” Splinter said. 

They hadn’t been able to sleep because of worrying about the others. It was now morning. Then, there was a growling noise coming from the entrance. Raphael was just stepping into the lair. Splinter and Randall turned to see it was just him and none of the others. 

“Raphael, where are your brothers?” Splinter asked. 

“They all teamed up with a no good, lying lady that serves the Foot!” Raph said angrily. “Leo really gets under my shell!” Then he threw his sais into the target wall. 

Randall had seen him mad before, but not this mad. “What did this lady want?” 

“She wanted us to team up with her to stop the war. I don’t trust her, that she’ll get them into trouble.” Raph replied. 

“Yes, you have every right to be worried, Raphael. We don’t know what she will do.” Splinter said. 

“So, what do we do?” Randall asked. “We can’t just let this happen.” 

Raph went on to explain all that he had heard the best he could, but he was just so mad and he really needed to cool off first. 

As time went on, Raph cooled off awhile and Splinter went on to talk to him that he couldn’t just abandon his brothers and best friend in a time like this. They would wait for nightfall and catch up to them. They were sure going to need it, as there were a lot of enemies. Randall agreed to help too, and he knew how to do it.   
…………….

Later that night, Karai was dressed in her father’s armor and she lured all their enemies to the Foot building that was still destroyed from the last fight there with the Shredder. She met up with the turtles and Casey there before the enemies arrived. 

“They are all on their way.” Karai said, only she sounded like the Shredder himself. 

“Good voice over work.” Don complimented. “You even sound like the Shredder.” 

“The Shredder’s voice gives me the creeps.” Mikey said. 

“I still don’t understand how you could serve someone as evil and heartless as the Shredder.” Leo said. 

Karai was shocked to hear that, but she went on to explain. “You only knew the Shredder as a merciless enemy. But I knew another side to him.” She explained how he had raised her to be the ninja she was today, and that she was an orphan and he had given her the life she had when she no longer had parents. 

“We are all people of fate.” She said. “It was my destiny to serve him, just as it was your destiny to destroy him.” 

“We had no choice, Karai. He had tried to kill us and harmed many innocent people for far too long.” Leo said. “He nearly did us in. But I will say this, you are nothing like him.”

“How so?” 

“You understand honor.” Leo said. 

Karai smiled. “Thanks. Now hide yourselves. The show is about to begin.” 

The turtles and Casey all went away to their hiding spot and would wait and see if their aid was needed. If Karai could get the Foot Elite and Foot and Purple Dragons to stand down, then there would be no need for them to intervene. Then they would take care of the Mob. But if not, then the turtles and Casey would have to intervene. 

In the end, the Foot Elite did not want to serve Karai when she revealed herself to them. They knew their original master was gone. A big fight broke out. That made the turtles and Casey jump in and assist Karai and her two men when they were on the losing side. 

They all fought until they were all cornered in the middle of the circle. 

A Dragon goon tried to fire a missile at them, but a shuriken struck it and it started to smoke. He threw it away and it exploded. There was a lot of smoke. Then, the ninjas started going down all of a sudden. 

Karai, her men, Leo, Don, Mikey, and Casey all looked over to see what was happening. A shadow was now appearing from the smoke. 

“Hi, guys. Miss me?” Raph said happily. 

“Raph!” The others all cheered. 

Then another fight began. 

“I thought you were sitting this one out.” Leo said. 

“Well, I calmed down, thought about it, and realized I was being an idiot.” Raph replied while knocked and kicking humans away. 

“You did that all by yourself?” Mikey asked. 

“Not exactly. I kind of had… a little help.” Raph gave a thumbs up as a signal, and out of the smoke came in flying Master Splinter. Other ninjas also started falling from an unknown source. 

The turtles knew it had to be Randall. 

“We thought we would be too late!” Splinter said, as he hit an Elite ninja in the face with his walking stick. 

“Nah! We had it all under control. Kinda.” Don said. 

“Turtles! Let’s finish this!” Karai called out. 

They all continued fighting until the ninjas were all but taken down. 

The Mob continued to fall unexpectedly and were scared into taking off. Randall was taking care of them. 

The turtles, Splinter, Karai and her men dealt with the ninjas. Many of them were soon down enough. Then, Karai cornered the lead Elite guard. 

“Do you not recognize this seal?” Karai demanded. She held the seal of the Foot to him. 

“Yes. It is the seal of the Foot. The Shredder’s seal.” The Elite said. 

“You are honor bound to serve me, as I represent the Shredder.” Karai ordered. 

“We… will not.” He said. 

Then Karai did something to dishonor him. The others thought that she would have killed him, but didn’t. 

The hat on his head fell apart, cut in half. The other ninjas were in shock. 

The lead Elite then ordered his men to surrender. They bowed to their new leader. 

All the Mob was chased off the premises. The ninjas began dispersing. 

Karai and her two men went over to talk to the turtles. Then, a purple lizard appeared out of nowhere and came over to what was happening. 

“So, what’s happening?” Randall stated. He eyed the woman warily and kept his distance. 

Leo walked up to Karai. 

“Thanks for your help. You all have great strength and courage. I hope that in the future that we will not be enemies.” Karai said. “The vendetta is lifted. The Foot will not take revenge for what happened.” 

“I know that you understand honor, Karai. I know that you will keep your word.” Leo said with a smile. He truly hoped she was different than her father. 

“Fate is not the only master we must serve.” Karai and her men moved toward an exit, bowed respectively and left through it. 

That left the turtles, Splinter, Randall, and Casey alone there. 

Leo stepped toward his father. “Master, I’m sorry. I just had to do something.” 

“It is alright, Leonardo. I understand. You had to follow your heart. You had to do what was right, even if others told you not to.” Splinter understood. 

“Thank you.” Leo said. 

They all headed home after that. This fight was finally over. 

Randall had not wanted the enemies to see him, in fear of being blasted away, and only revealing himself when the fight was over. And even he had now met the Shredder’s daughter. 

Raph still didn’t trust her, and he wanted to trust Leo’s judgment. 

Since the Utrom was truly dead, Karai did keep her word in the end. She remained an ally the turtles could rely on. 

There were some Foot members that resented Karai as being the new leader, not liking that a woman was leading them, and they left her Foot clan. They would start up somewhere else. But there were still many who stayed her allies.


	5. Chapter 5

In the Monster world, there was chaos going in the prison, as the old crab spider monster known as Henry J. Waternoose, was breaking out of jail. He had been in prison for over a year now, and was wanting to conduct a plan for getting revenge on the ones who had sent him to jail, and to get the Scream Extractor to work again. 

Once he got far enough away from Monstropolis, or more to a deserted part of it, an old rundown warehouse, but still in good enough shape to stay upright, Waternoose got himself settled and began to come up with a plan to get that scrap metal out of the factory’s basement and to get it working again. 

But there was only one monster who knew how to get it fixed up, and that meant finding him again. Randall Boggs. He had the blueprints for it and had built it. And of course, perhaps there was also his former assistant, Fungus. But Randall was the mastermind behind it and how it was made. 

First, he had to find and hire some muscle to get the machine out of the basement and to also have backup for his revenge. 

He only went out at night at the moment, and knew where to head to find the muscle he needed. He knew where the often real bad monsters hung out. Some other monsters in prison had told him where their hideouts were. 

The one where Waternoose decided to track down was a gang called The Nomads. They were gangsters in a far part of town that was often dangerous, and it was mostly a dead end part of town where practically no one lived, other than them. It made it good for them to have their hideout there. 

It was a group of six monsters going only by their gang names. Their real names were nonexistent. 

The leader was a big brown one with horns that curved inward and were big and large. He had two arms and four legs. He had rubbery skin. His name was The Creeper. He was about 7 feet tall. 

His other five members were Tank, Swifty, Spyder, Knuckles, and Smasher. They all were really scary monsters. They loved to make others submit. They loved to cause chaos. 

Tank was well, built like a big tank, kind of square shaped. He was 8 feet tall. He had two green standing eyes. He had two legs and two arms. 

Spyder was like a spider. A black monster with tentacles everywhere on his body. Five amber eyes. He was about 7 feet tall. 

Swifty was the computer genius of the bunch. He was more like a snake, but he had two arms. He was orange colored and had two dark brown eyes. His most upright version of himself was about 6 feet tall. 

Knuckles was a fighter. He loved to break things and hurt others. He had long spikes on his back, lots of small spikes on his head, a club at the end of his tail. He had a horn on his nose. He stood about 6 foot tall. 

Smasher loved to destroy property. He was about 5 foot tall. He was more like an insect, but he had four crab-like pinchers. He had three pairs of eyes. 

Waternoose approached them. When the gang saw him, they got around him and were watching him with threatening glares. 

“Why are you croaching onto our territory, Old Man?” The Creeper asked. 

“I want you to work for me. I have a plan to take back the Scream Energy our world has thrived on for hundreds of years. I also want to get revenge on the ones who put me in jail in the first place.” Waternoose explained. 

“And who are you, Old Man?” Spyder asked. 

“Mr. Henry. J. Waternoose. The former CEO of the Monsters, Incorporated.” Waternoose introduced himself. 

The gang softened for a moment. Then, Creeper said, “We’ve heard of you, Waternoose. Had some machine involved.” 

“The Scream Extractor, yes. I want to get it out of the basement, have it fixed up again, and start collecting children’s screams again. I don’t care how many we have to kidnap to get the screams. I just want the machine to do the job it was made to do.” Waternoose explained in a dark, demanding tone. 

The way this older monster talked, the more he seemed like their type to want to work for. 

“Alright. But you better pay us good for this.” Creeper said. 

“If you work for me and get it to where it works, I’ll super pay you!” Waternoose said. “And if it comes to it, we may even have to hunt down Randall Boggs too.” 

“I’ve heard of him.” Swifty said. “I went to high school with him. He was always the shy, nerdy type.” 

“Were you friends with him?” Spyder asked. 

“No. He was too quiet and kept to himself. I know he had a habit of vanishing.” Swifty said. 

“Yes. It made him the second best scarer we had, and was number one at one time. But anyway, we are going to take Monsters, Inc down for stealing my job and destroying my plans for the scream extractor.” Waternoose said. 

The gang agreed to work for him. 

Late at night, Swifty used some technology to shut everything down in the factory, even the cameras, so they all could sneak in and get the scream extractor out of the basement. Waternoose had given them instructions about how to get in and go to where the basement was and to get the machine. 

Knuckles had a big transport truck outside. He was driving. 

Waternoose was staying in the Nomads’ warehouse. He hoped these young misfits could pull this off. A lot of the more friendly monsters were afraid of these gangsters. 

Later on, the truck pulled back in, and inside, was the Scream Extractor. 

Waternoose was surprised, but pleased. 

“Told you we’d get it.” Creeper said. 

They began to get to work on getting it set up into the air and its fixtures. Waternoose would wait and see what happened till later.   
…………….

Back in the human world, April and Casey had gone out on a date, celebrating their two year anniversary of being together. Randall was happy for them. He was left in charge of the shop. He was downstairs in his apartment when he heard some noises upstairs in the shop. The shop was right above his room. He knew his human friends couldn’t be back yet. They had left not long ago. 

He went up to investigate the shop. It couldn’t be the turtles. They knew better than to break stuff, but it happened from time to time. But they hadn’t called him to tell him they were coming. It was possible burglars. 

Randall opened the basement door ever so slowly and listened. He heard some mumbling about and evil laughing. He vanished and went to see for real. 

In the shop, there were three humans in masked hoods raiding the joint for some jewelry and the cash in the register. But under the masks, one had black hair, one had red hair, and the third had brown hair. 

Randall growled. He snuck in. 

The men thought no one was home. There was no burglar alarm and no guard dogs. They thought they were going to get away with it. 

Randall got onto the ceiling and made sure to stay silent up until the last second. 

“Hurry up there!” The black haired man said. 

The brown haired one had just gotten into the register and was bagging up the cash. "I'm hurrying!" he said. 

“You shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you.” A soft, raspy voice suddenly came out of nowhere. 

The men looked up, puzzled. 

“Who’s there?” The black haired one asked warily. He held a knife at the ready. 

“We mean business!” The last one, a redhead said. 

The one raiding the register suddenly went flying backwards into the wall, making him drop the cash bag and bang his head hard on the wall. He grunted at the blow. He looked up, and rubbed his head. 

Randall made his eyes and teeth appear. He hissed and flailed his tongue. 

“AHH!” The brown haired man screamed in terror. He pushed himself to his feet and ran out of the shop. 

“Damon! Where you going?! Get back here!” The black haired one ordered. 

Then the redhead went down onto his butt and back. “Whoa!” He screamed. 

The leader looked to where his partner fell and he was looking for anything that had made him trip. But then, he felt a mighty whip to the face and he fell over a chair that was in the shop. 

“Who’s there?!” The redhead asked in fear. 

“Your worst nightmare!” Randall hissed and he showed his eyes, teeth and tongue again. His back feet were on the ceiling, and he was just hanging from it. 

The two men shivered in fear. 

“Now, get out of here or I’ll make sure you suffer the consequences!” Randall warned them. He then gave a warning growl. 

The black haired man waved the knife towards his face, but Randall was too fast for him. He pulled himself back up to the ceiling and moved away with such stealth. 

“Let’s get out of here!” The redhead said. 

“I ain’t gonna let no ghost make me leave until the job is done!” Black said. 

Randall knew he would have to do more to convince them to leave. He began throwing stuff and the men got hit several times. He also tripped them both and he whipped both of them in the face with his tail. 

There was a loud growling sound and then a mouthful of teeth was coming at them. 

“AHHHH!” The men screamed and got up as they staggered to their feet and ran out of the store. 

Randall gave a good laugh. He had enjoyed that. He had seen off three goons all by himself. It was clear that April did need him here. And it was clear that she needed an alarm. 

He called April on her shell cell and told her that the shop had been broken into by three goons. He didn’t know who they were. They were just robbers. 

When April and Casey got back to the shop, they talked to Randall. 

“What were they doing here?” April asked, clearly distressed. 

“What did they want?” Casey demanded angrily. 

“Evidently, what every criminal human wants: money. One of them was taking money out of the register. The others were gathering the jewelry off the shelves and out of the glass containers.” Randall explained. 

“What did they look like?” April asked. 

“They had dark clothes on, and dark face masks on. I couldn’t see their faces.” Randall said, “but I gave some good scares and got them out of here.” 

“I wouldn’t know what to tell the police if you don’t have any information that would help to track them down, Randall.” April said. 

“I wish I had more. Wait, I heard a name being called out. It was Damon.” 

“Sure, Randall, like that’d help.” Casey remarked. 

“Sorry, Casey. I don’t have anymore to go on. And April, you know I wouldn’t be trying to take the money or breaking your merchandise.” Randall said. 

“Yes. I know. All we can do really is just put things back and fix the place up. There’s no point in going to the police unless there is something to go on.” April said. “But they might be back.” 

“With the scares I gave them, I doubt it, April.” 

“I bet you did a good job.” April patted him on the back. 

“How’d you do it?” Casey was curious. 

“Being invisible and just showing my eyes, teeth, and my tongue. Tripping them, throwing stuff that was already out at them, tail lashes to the face, and more teeth showing, like a shark’s teeth coming at them.” Randall gave an evil smile. “One of them even thought I was a ghost.”

April laughed. “Yeah, that would give almost any human a good scare to get out.” 

Casey even had to have a laugh. Randall’s scare techniques were impressive. He had at least kept the criminals from escaping with the money and jewelry. Tomorrow, they would get to work on putting things back together. Randall hadn’t touched the mess yet so there would be evidence. 

But April did call the police anyway and told them her shop was broken into. But there just wasn’t much information she could give them because they were all disguised. 

Later on, Randall went down to see the turtles and told them about what happened. After he was done, Leo said, “You could have called us if you needed help.” 

“I know I can defend the shop, Leo.” Randall said. “I know how to scare most humans really well. And sometimes, I even use the ninja training you’ve taught me.” Then he turned to Don. “Don, maybe putting an alarm and cameras in the shop would be helpful too. We had them at my former job and it made things a lot easier at times of who was being in trouble.” 

“That’s a good idea, Randall. I’d be happy to, if you’d help me?” Don said. 

“Sure.” 

The guys didn’t care if the bad guys got away so much as that Randall got them out of the shop and didn’t steal April’s money. It was her livelihood. But they still thought the robbers deserved some jail time. But with no way to identify them at the moment, it would be hopeless. Unless they all did some patrols and went looking around close to April’s neighborhood and they all might catch them in the act. 

Don told April he would be happy to install cameras and an alarm in her shop if it would bring a piece of mind and use camera footage for evidence. Sure, Randall was a good eyewitness, but he couldn’t reveal himself to the police. But he could be voice recorded. 

April bought the camera supplies and the alarm gear for Don to install in her shop. That night, Don and Randall stayed at the shop to install a few cameras and a new alarm system, while Leo, Raph, and Mikey all went patrolling in the area to see if there were any robbers on the loose tonight. And they didn’t always have to be Purple Dragons to cause trouble. Anyone could be a robber. 

It was a few blocks over that the trio of turtles did indeed find some robbers breaking into a different jewelry store, and just as Randall had described, it was some masked robbers; three of them. 

The alarm was blaring and they were in a hurry. The turtles quickly jumped down and dealt with them, getting them down and tying them up for the police. The sirens were coming. The turtles got back to the rooftops just in the nick of time as the cops got there. 

It turned out these bozos had been causing trouble all over town. They were now going to jail. Good thing Randall had dealt with them first. At least he had saved April’s shop from having her stuff stolen. 

Running a business, especially that had jewelry in it would always have its risks, but April did have to make a living since she didn’t work as a scientist anymore, or at least until she might find one again one day. 

When they got back to the shop, they began helping April clean up and fix things back up again while Don and Randall continued to get the alarm and cameras set up. The cameras would be linked to both her own and Don’s computers. Randall could check on April’s computer when she wasn’t home as needed. But he was there to also just check on the shop too. 

Insurance paid for some of the damages the thieves had done to the shop.


	6. Chapter 6

Paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. That’s what it meant for James P. Sullivan as the new CEO of Monsters, Inc. He was happy for his friend, Mike, who was the top comedian in the factory. 

They were still roommates at home, but Mike was beginning to feel restless. He wanted to be with Celia a lot more, and with his best friend working all the longer hours because of his position, Mike was contemplating on moving in with Celia. 

Mike finally had enough money to buy Celia his engagement present for her to ask her to marry him. He had bought her a necklace because of her lack of fingers, other than she did have a thumb. 

On their next date, which happened to be at Harry Hausen’s once again, Mike was looking at Celia in a romantic way. Celia noticed. “What’s on your mind, Googley-bear?” Celia asked. 

“Oh, I’m just thinking that we’ve been dating for a long time now, and how much we know we mean to each other. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Celia.” Mike told her his feelings. “I love you, Celia.” 

“I love you, too, Michael.” Celia replied back.

Then Mike took a little box out from behind his back. Celia eyed it. Could this be what she thought it was? 

Mike opened the box and revealed the lovely necklace to her. “Celia, would do me the honor of marrying me?” he asked. 

Celia’s eye welled with happy tears. She had thought he would never ask her. “Yes, Michael. Yes.” She said, and they kissed one another. Her snake hair also started kissing him too. It made him laugh even while kissing her. Her snake hair was so funny and cute when they agreed with their mistress. 

So, Mike and Celia now had a wedding coming up. As of yet, they were not sure when it would be, but it would be soon. Mike put the necklace on her. Celia admired it lovingly. 

Back at the factory, Sulley had no idea that the Scream Extractor had been removed from the basement yet. He did know of Mike and Celia’s date tonight and that Mike was going to finally ask Celia to marry him. It was about time. 

Sulley was looking forlorn. He still sometimes thought about what he had done to Randall. Was he still alive? He thought about maybe bringing him back and see about letting the CDA decide what to do with him. Randall had been illegally banished after all. He deserved a proper hearing and punishment. 

Sulley was glad that Randall hadn’t been back for revenge, or, at least not yet. Perhaps he was back and was biding his time. And then he had heard about Waternoose’s escape. Could Randall have helped him? And was he helping him now? This worried him. 

He couldn’t help but want to go to the basement to see if the scream extractor was still down there. After everyone else was gone, Sulley went down to the basement to see if it was still there.

When Sulley got to the room where the machine was supposed to be, he saw it was now gone! Everything was gone. 

It would take someone big and strong to have to move it. That thing was heavy. And Waternoose could have even hired some more help to get it out too. There would be no way Randall could have gotten it out of here by himself. The lizard wasn’t that strong in strength. 

As a fighter of any sort, Randall would prefer to use brains over brawn. He had to since most of his enemies had always been bigger and stronger than him physically. 

Sulley thought about Boo. She could also be in danger if whoever had taken the scream extractor might want to once again, try it on her. But then, most monsters would have thought or known that the door would have been shredded. It was his and Mike’s biggest secret right now about Boo’s door. He wouldn’t give it away, but he would stay ultimately aware of what was going on, and keep an eye out for Randall and his ex-boss. 

Sulley went home and made himself a TV dinner. He stayed up until Mike came home. Mike was surprised he was still up. 

“Why are you up so late? Tomorrow’s a big day.” Mike said. 

“Mike, I went down to the basement tonight at the factory, and after hearing of Mr. Waternoose’s escape recently, and I found the machine that Randall made is gone.” Sulley explained. 

“What?! You mean Lizard Boy is back?” 

“I don’t know on that part, but I wouldn’t doubt that Waternoose might have had help getting it out of here when we weren’t there.” 

Mike didn’t like this. “We have to keep an eye out for them, and tell the CDA.” 

“We will, tomorrow.”   
………………

In the morning, Mike and Sulley reported to Roz about what was not found. She told her comrades that they were to be even more on alert now. And to double the search for Waternoose, and possibly Randall too. 

But to Mike and Sulley, they knew they would never find Randall here in the monster world, unless he was hiding good. After all, he had an invisibility gift that most other monsters didn’t have. He was the only one they knew of that had the gift. 

Sulley and Mike also went to check on Boo and found she was alright. She was currently in her bed sleeping. 

While the CDA was looking for Waternoose and Randall, Sulley and Mike went to do the jobs they were supposed to do. 

But later, at the end of the day, there was a different monster pretending to be a janitor in the men’s locker room waiting to see the one monster he wanted to see and get. It was the one known as Smasher. 

He soon saw the monster he was looking for: Fungus, Randall’s former assistant. He followed him outside once he had put his stuff away. 

Once outside, he was heading towards his car. He had his keys ready to unlock the car and get in, but before he could do that, he was grabbed from behind, and his mouth was covered over. 

“Shut up and no harm will come to ya.” Smasher warned Fungus as he tried to struggle. 

Fungus was terrified, so he stopped struggling. 

Other monsters passing by just wanted to go home. The parking lot was busy with cars coming and going. They didn’t give Smasher and Fungus a passing glance. 

“What… do you… want?” Fungus stuttered as his mouth was uncovered. 

Smasher dragged Fungus by his right arm over to his truck. “Now, you better not give me any trouble, Little Bean. You are gonna help with the Scream Extractor, or else!” The bigger monster growled at him. 

Fungus’s eyes lit up. “What about the Scream Extractor? Has Randall returned?” 

“No, but Waternoose wants to use it to bring back Scream Energy.” 

Fungus knew that some old school monsters were having a hard time giving up on Scream and changing to Laugh Energy. But he himself preferred Laughing. It didn’t hurt your ears so much, and it wasn’t kids with possible hurt feelings of being scared all the time. 

Fungus was currently too scared to move, as he didn’t want to risk being beaten. He had feared enough of it from Randall so long ago. 

Smasher took him to the warehouse where the machine now was in production. He took him inside. 

Fungus was surprised to see Mr. Waternoose. “Hi, Sir. Long time.” He trembled in fear. 

“You are going to work on this machine to get it up and running again. Perhaps Randall too if he can be found. But this machine is going to revolutionize the industry of Scream and go back to the way it was before.” Waternoose explained what he was hoping for, and wanted more than anything. 

“I haven’t seen Randall for a long time, Sir.” Fungus replied. 

“Get to work on it, Shorty.” The Creeper ordered. “You should have known more about the mechanics of it more than anyone else, other than the lizard himself.” 

Fungus knew that he knew about some of the mechanics of it, but Randall was still the main master builder of it. But he had hoped to never even touch this machine ever again in his life. 

Fungus hated being threatened. He would do what he could. 

The monsters that Waternoose had hired had gotten the machine in the air, but the mechanics of it were so complicated. And since they couldn’t find Randall, Fungus was the next best one to use for this. But now that they had him, they weren’t going to let him go so easily either. They would let him go only when he was done with the machine. Until then, he wasn’t going anywhere. 

A few days later, having not been seen for those days, Fungus was reported missing. Something was going on alright. 

Sulley and Mike feared it was Waternoose, as did the CDA, figuring it was him. They would find Fungus, but hopefully alive, and not dead.   
……………….

In the human world, Agent Bishop had studied the DNA of the creature he had come to know as Randall. After looking at his DNA, he knew he was not like any alien or creature from this planet that he had even seen before. Sure, Randall was lizard-like, but he wasn’t an Earth lizard. His DNA was very different, and special. But his blood was alien to him. He had to get him back again.   
…………….

Donatello had been working on a new submarine machine for a few days now, aiming to be able to explore the water areas outside their lair. And the water hole in the middle of the lair would surely lead them somewhere. 

Don would put on a water wearing helmet so he wouldn’t have to hold his breath and he could stay underwater longer. He was exploring the waterways below the water’s surface first before he started putting in fixtures. 

After exploring the waterways below, he looked up on his computer of the sewer system and he calculated where he was going to get a hole that would give him access to the river system. 

He was soon digging that hole in the wall to give him access to the river, and made some sliding doors for it. Don was a mastermind at this. 

It wasn’t until he was done with the water fixtures that he began making his new submarine. It would take a little while for it to get done. Randall gave him a hand sometimes when he was down there. 

One day, Randall thought up an idea. 

“You know, Don, why don’t we create an easier way to get to April’s place instead of me having to travel by rooftops or by car? Couldn’t we drill a hole in the basement? That would make it easier for any of you guys to visit, but still calling first before coming over.” Randall suggested. 

It startled Don by the question for a second, but then he turned to him. He thought about it for a moment. “Hmm.” Don put a hand under his chin. It was a motivator that he was thinking of the question. 

“It would be a better way of getting into April’s and if we didn’t go upstairs, if we were to just drop by to see you.” Don pointed it out. “I’ll talk to my brothers and father.” 

“Yeah, plus if April and Casey were upstairs doing their own thing, and you guys still wanted to come over and hang out. I could talk to April since I live with her.”

“Good.” 

Randall’s suggestion did have some strong points. It could be done. But Don wanted to run it by April first. He knew it would be awkward if it was just done. 

When Randall went back to April’s house, he would run it by her since he lived with her.

They were having some coffee in the evening and watching a movie together after a good day’s work. She was in her chair and Randall on her couch so he could spread his body out. 

“April, I have an idea that would be good for both me and our mutant friends.” Randall spoke up. 

April glanced over at him. “What’s that?” 

“I was talking to Don yesterday while helping him with his new submarine he’s building, and I brought it up with him first. But we won’t do anything unless you approve. What it is, is that, with the way we are always at risk of being seen and all, it might be easier for them to not be seen so much and bringing the truck over all the time when they visit, or you dropping me off. If we were to connect your basement to the sewers, it would be easier for me to go over more easily, and them to visit more often, even if they only come over to see me. Like if Mike wants to come over and play video games.” Randall explained his thoughts. 

“You do have a point, Randall. It would be easier for you guys to come and go more easily, but when Casey and I are wanting time alone, we would prefer calling first.” April said. 

“Of course. Don was going to talk to his family. I was going to talk to you since I live in your house.” Randall said. “I know how to respect your privacy.” 

“Good. You have been living here for months now and have never violated our privacy, unless there’s something you’re not telling me.” She gave him a look of curiosity. 

“What? You mean being an invisible spy? Of course I haven’t.” Randall retorted. 

“Let’s keep it that way.” 

“I promise. Scout’s honor.” Randall held up his right upper hand, holding his thumb into his palm. He had learned it from watching the turtles, and some of their movies, especially the ones that Mikey watched. 

“Alright then. Whenever it can be done, it’s fine.” April said. 

“Thank you. I’ll tell him.” Randall said. 

Randall later called Don. “Did you get a chance to talk to your family?” 

“Yes. They are all agreeable to it for the sake of being able to come over and not be seen by folks above.” Don replied. 

“So, when do you think it’ll be done?” 

“In a few days. Maybe this weekend when April and Casey are going out of town.” Don said. 

“Okay. I’ll still be here.” 

“At least someone will be there.” Don said. “Mikey was the most excited for it because he wants to come over to see you more often.” 

Randall knew that was going to raise Mike’s expectations. “I figured.” 

“Well, I have to get ready for patrol. Gotta go.” 

“See ya in a few days.” Randall said. 

“Bye.” Don said and hung up.


	7. Chapter 7

That weekend, April and Casey went out of town to spend some time together. Randall was downstairs and monitoring the shop. It was his job to do that when April was gone. She trusted him now more than ever. 

The turtles came over and with Randall, overlooked what they were about to do to the basement wall. Donny had some digging equipment they were going to use. But a little bit of it might have to be blown up to get it started and all the way through to the sewers. 

From a map that Don had, there was a tunnel in the sewers that was close to April’s basement. It was abandoned, so it wouldn’t cause trouble from anyone else’s homes. 

They went back into the sewers first, and blasted first and did some more digging through to the basement walls. Randall went in first to make sure it was April’s. It was. 

“Well, it’s finally done.” Randall gave a sigh of relief. 

“Now we can come over a lot more!” Mike said excitedly. 

“Just make sure to call first.” Randall said to him firmly. 

“I will, bro.” Mike replied. He and the lizard high threed each other. 

There was a big hole in the wall now, but it was worth it. Even April could come down through the sewers to visit her friends too, plus Casey, without having to use gas mileage on their van or motorcycle. This was going to come in handy. 

April and Casey came down and looked at it when they got back from their trip and approved it.   
……………

Weeks later, Don was finally done with the new submarine. He had worked on it almost non-stop when he was home. And it was also when some ships in the harbor had started being destroyed mysteriously. 

The big day finally came to announce its premiere, and what would be its maiden voyage. Don had invited Randall over for it since he had helped with it too. Mike and Randall had been the ones that helped Don the most with it. Don had done most of the work. 

The six guys were standing by the water’s edge. Mikey pulled a brown sheet off the new submarine. The carton of milk was tied up and ready to go to give the submarine a shine as Don threw it through the air and hit it, dubbing it. 

“Gentleman, I christen thee with…” Slap! “The Shell Sub!” Don said in a big, proud voice. The milk covered the front of the sub. 

“It is amazing, my son.” Splinter said thoughtfully. It was amazing what his smart son could dream up and create. “It makes one think of the giant sea turtle of Japanese mythology.” 

Everyone else just looked at it proudly. It was quite an invention that Donny had come up with to explore the river and some other underwater ways. 

“It’s time to take it on its maiden voyage.“ Don was about to lower the sub to the water, but then, Mikey jumped in the way. “Can I launch it?” Mikey asked excitedly. 

“Careful, Mikey. If you put one scratch on it…” Don warned. Randall could understand Don’s worry over it. 

Laughing, Mikey pulled the lever and it lowered all too fast into the water, splashing them all. They all glared at Mikey. 

“Thanks a lot, Mikey.” Raph said with a glare. 

Splinter was a drenched rat. “Just what I needed… another bath.” Splinter said, and shook his head. The others gave him a little room. He began squeezing the water out of his kimono. 

Mikey wanted to take the take the first ride in the sub. “Dibs on the first ride!” Then he jumped onto the sub, making it bob a bit. “First mate, Michelangelo. Dive! Dive! Torpedoes away!” He said excitedly and jumped down into the sub’s entrance. 

The others all looked on that that was going to be an issue. “Mikey’s my first mate. Wish me luck.” Don said worriedly. Then he jumped onto the sub and got inside to make sure Mikey wasn’t going to mess something up. He just had so much childish enthusiasm for many things, which often got him in trouble. 

After Don closed the hap, Raph said, “Luck is what he’s gonna need taking Mikey along.” 

“He’s just excited to see it in action.” Randall said. 

“We’ll all get our chance.” Leo said. “Let Mikey get his curiosity satisfied.” 

Then they saw the clasps on the sub be released and it went under the water. 

“So, what do we do now?” Randall asked.

“I am going to go watch my soaps.” Splinter said and walked to the TV area. 

“Well, we could all work on some training until they come back.” Leo said. 

They all went to the workout area and began training. After some warm ups, Leo and Raph did some hand to hand tussling, testing each other’s strength when one charged the other when they would catch their opponent and toss them over their heads. Randall would never be strong enough for that. 

Then they moved on to include Randall in when they did something similar, but they both tried to tag team on Randall to see what he was capable of to improve his skills some more, should he ever be charged by two enemies at the same time. 

Randall was in the middle and watching Leo and Raph circle him. He was watching for their move. Leo nodded to Raph, and they both charged for him. 

Randall grinned smugly. He vanished and got down on all eights and moved out of the way, thus making Leo and Raph yell out in surprise and crashed into each other. They both fell back onto their shells. 

The lizard reappeared, laughing. 

“You won’t always be able to do that, Randall.” Leo scolded, rubbing his head. 

“You’ll be lucky if you don’t ever lose that ability.” Raph said grumpily. He fell for that trick all the time. 

“I wouldn’t count on it.” Randall said. 

“Let’s end this right here, before they get back. Raph, how about some weight lifting?” Leo suggested. 

“I’d rather do that.” Raph agreed. 

The two turtles got up and went over to the weight lifter. Randall came over too. 

Raphael laid down on the bed of it and took the bar off of it and began to lift fifty pounds. Leo counted how many he did. Randall got bored of it and went to join Splinter instead. 

Randall wasn’t the biggest soap opera watcher, but he would watch some on occasion. 

After one hour and no sign of Don and Mikey, there was some concern starting to rise. 

Two hours later, there were some bubbles finally appearing in the water. Then, it finally surfaced. Leo and Raph looked over. So did Splinter and Randall. The rat and lizard stood up and went over to the edge of the TV area. 

The hatch immediately opened up. Don pushed it clear off. Both he and Mikey climbed out, happy to finally be home. 

Leo and Raph walked over first. “It’s about time you surfaced. We were getting worried.” Leo said. 

Raph noticed some big clamps on the front of the sub. “Whoa! What happened?” 

“Long story, guys. A real, long story.” Don said. Then he leaned over the front, wondering how he was going to fix the damage. 

Randall and Splinter then made their way over. They were just as surprised by what those clamps were. “Then proceed to tell us, Donatello.” Splinter said. 

“Yeah, what did this to the sub?” Randall asked curiously. 

“You guys remember how we told you about the Garbageman? How he was dumped into the river?” Don asked. 

“Yeah.” Leo said. 

“It was him that attacked us.” Mikey said next. 

“We were exploring the river and it was amazing. Then we oddly saw a car on the river bottom and it was salvaging parts from a ship. We followed it back to a place that had been made underwater, and we got picked up by a moving fish-like machine.” Don explained. 

“And it turned out all it was the Garbageman who had us taken aboard his fish machine. Like Bishop, he wanted to dissect us! We were taken to the jail area and got some suits away from the armed guards. We heard what he was going to do: attack a cruise ship for its parts, and we put a stop to him.” Mikey added. 

“He came after us and tried to kill us, but we stopped him.” Don finished. 

“All I can say is, I’m happy to be home right now. I didn’t know if we were going to get out of there alive.” Mikey said. 

“We would have come looking for you if you hadn’t surfaced soon.” Leo said. 

“It’s not like you guys have another submarine.” Randall brought up. 

“Us turtles can hold our breath for awhile and swim good.” Raph said. 

“I’ve never had to swim for long.” Randall said. 

“What matters is that you are home safe now.” Splinter said. 

The turtles and Randall couldn’t agree more. 

Mikey just wanted to go relax on the couch for right now. Don and Randall got to work on the sub. Don showed Randall what damage had been done to it. 

Aside from the Garbageman’s clamps on the front of the sub, there were cracks in the walls that would need fixing where it had been hit. And they would have to remove the clamps. 

Randall had been told of this big, disgusting excuse of a human who was so fat that he had to rely on robot machinery to just get around. From the way it sounded, this was a toxic human. 

Randall wasn’t much of a swimmer, but could be when he had the chance. 

Leo and Raph went into the kitchen for a snack now that their brothers were back. Splinter decided it was time for him to go to bed. 

Don and Randall worked long into the morning hours until Randall began to get tired. “How about we stop for right now and get some sleep, Don?” Randall suggested. 

At those words, Don couldn’t help but yawn. “It has been a long night. So, yeah. We can resume later.” Don said. 

They put the tools away to go to bed. Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago. 

Don went to his room, and Randall went to the mattress that was there in the living room just for him when he slept over. They were both asleep almost the instant they hit the pillows. 

In the days that followed, Don managed to remove the clamps on his submarine with cutting the metal into parts with his wielder and a saw. Then he set about making repairs to the walls of the sub. Randall helped as needed. 

Don wasn’t going to let the Garbageman interfering on the maiden voyage keep him from going out to explore the river in the sub. It was just a minor setback. It was going to have another maiden voyage that would not have that gross slob in it later after its repairs were completed.


	8. Chapter 8

At the warehouse in the monster world, Waternoose was overseeing the repairs on the scream extractor. He was seeing the progress, but there were just so many wires to deal with and to make sure it was all working correctly. 

Fungus was making short progress on his own. The gang were very impatient individuals, as was Waternoose. He was so scared of his ex-boss and the gang he had hired for this job. They were all threatening him if he didn’t get the job done, and he would be hit often enough. It was enough motivation to get him to work harder to get the job done. 

One of the gang, Swifty, would often go into the factory at night and get into the files. He looked for where Randall Boggs was, and there was no sign of anything. It didn’t say where he was living now or if he had been banished. He hadn’t been seen in over a year. 

Waternoose knew that Randall had been committed to working on that Scream Extractor for what he had brainwashed him with: fame, money, respect, and admiration for making it should it have succeeded. And it would have made it a lot less work for the other monsters. It would have put some monsters out of work, but if it meant power for their world, he was all for it, and he didn’t care about kidnapping children. The welfare of the human children meant nothing to him; they were just the fuel source. 

Fungus knew that the human kids were more than that. Of course, he had kept the secret that the kids weren’t really toxic, but he knew about their emotions were about the same as a monster’s. They had to be impressed in order to get them to laugh. There had been some that they were scared of him too. He hated to see them scared, as he was an easy monster to intimidate. 

When Swifty came back from the factory that night, he said to the Creeper, “Boss, I have tried everywhere. I don’t know where Boggs has been put. There has to be someone that knows where he is.” 

“Alright. I think I know someone who might know.” The Creeper meant Fungus. He was sure to know. 

On one of his breaks, Fungus was just sitting in the corner, eating his food that he had been given, when the Creeper came up to him and picked him up by the fin on his back so suddenly. 

“Ah!” Fungus cried out in pain. 

“Alright, runt! Who were the last ones to see your scare partner?” Creeper demanded angrily. 

“It- it would- have b-been Sul-Sullivan and W-Wazowski!” Fungus stuttered in pain. 

“Thank you.” Creeper said and then dropped him. 

Fungus landed on his feet, but fell over too. He knew they were looking for Randall. He had been used to being without him and he had been happy for a long time that he wasn’t threatened all the time with being put into the shredder if he didn’t do something right. But Randall had never tried to do it, and he didn’t beat him like these monsters did. This gang and Waternoose redefined the meaning of the word ‘monster’ to him. 

The Creeper knew that they needed to get either Sullivan or Wazowski to talk. They had to find that lizard. 

He and his gang, plus Waternoose, started a plan that would get the smaller monster first. He would be easier to go after. Smaller monsters were always an easier target first. 

The next week, as they watched the factory workers leaving for the nights, Mike was seen leaving by himself or with his fiance. They wanted to get him alone preferably. He was also one of the last ones to leave because he would also check up on Celia if she felt up to dating. Or he would be checking on Sulley to see when he would be home, but some sorts of paperwork took awhile before he could leave. 

At the end of the week, Mike was finally seen leaving alone again, walking home. The gang got close enough to him behind some cars that were there for the night shift. A lot of other cars had cleared out from the day shift. 

Mike was about to get to the crosswalk when he was suddenly grabbed by his right arm and picked up. “Whoa!” 

He came face to face with the Creeper. “Hello, Wazowski. We have to talk.” 

“Who are you?” Mike demanded. 

“I am the Creeper and this the Nomads Gang.” Creeper introduced the gang, but not their names. 

Mike gulped. He had heard of this gang. They were nothing but trouble. 

“What- what do you want?” He asked in a nervous voice. 

“Just some information, but not here.” Creeper said. He passed Mike to Tank and Smasher. 

They left the parking lot and to another street, and back to an empty warehouse. There, they put Mike onto a chair and tied his hands behind his back, just so he wouldn’t run. 

“Now, Wazowski, you better give us that information.” Tank said, towering over him. 

“Or what?” Mike demanded. 

“Or we make sure you never see your precious sweetheart again.” The Creeper said. 

“You wouldn’t dare!” Mike challenged. 

“Then tell us what we want to know and we’ll let you go.” Swifty said. 

“What do you want to know?” 

“We want to know what you and your friend, Sullivan did with Randall Boggs. A certain someone knows you were the last ones to see him heading into the door vault after you and that child at the time. He hasn’t been seen since then. Where is he?!” The Creeper ordered angrily. 

“Why do you want to know?” 

“Because we are some old friends of his and are seeking him out for something important.” The Creeper knew he had to make this little pipsqueak talk, so he turned it into a nice lie. 

“Figures Randall would hang out with a bunch of mean jocks like yourselves.” Mike remarked sarcastically. 

“Where is he?” Swifty asked again. 

“And don’t tell us he left because we know that’s a lie. Tell us or we mean what we say.” The Creeper threatened. “We know Boggs was a determined worker and scarer. He wouldn’t just abandon something important.” 

Mike didn’t want his beloved Celia to be harmed in any way and he wanted to marry her soon. He wanted to be around for her. 

“Just as Mr. Waternoose had us illegally banished, but we returned to stop his evil, and Randall came after us for rescuing the kid, and we did the same thing to Randall that he helped Waternoose do.” Mike explained. 

“You illegally banished him? To where?” Spyder asked. 

“As far I know, down in the southern US states. I don’t know if he’s still there. He hasn’t made it back.” Mike said. “I haven’t seen him.” 

The gang knew this was going to be a tough one. At least now they knew of Randall’s whereabouts. He was somewhere in the human world, if lucky to be alive. 

“You better tell no one of this incident, Wazowski, or we’ll be back!” The Creeper said.   
“As his friends, we needed to know where he was.” He lied. 

“Whatever. Now let me go! I told you what you wanted to know.” Mike said. He never wanted to see Randall again. He might have been a friend long ago, but once he turned against him and Sulley, they had been enemies ever since. 

“Take him back to where we got him and release him.” The Creeper ordered. 

Tank and Swifty took Mike back to the spot where he was caught and cut his hands free. Then they released him. 

“We just wanted to know where Boggs was. But we won’t stop at hurting someone unless you give us good reason to. Now get out of here.” Tank said. “Before we change our minds and tell no one of this, or else!” 

Mike ran. He just wanted to get away from them. He was lucky he had gotten away unscathed. He managed to make it home, if very shakily. He waited for Sulley to get home. 

When Sulley did finally come home, he saw Mike was scared. 

“What happened, Mike? You look scared.” Sulley asked. 

“A gang called the Nomads kidnapped me after work tonight and demanded information from me. If I didn’t, they said they would harm Celia.” Mike explained. 

This sent a warning to Sulley. “What did they want?” He demanded. 

“Information of what we did with Randall. They said they were old friends of his. They wanted to know where he was.” 

“Did you tell them?” 

“Yes. I did. I didn’t want them to harm Celia.” 

Sulley knew this was a problem. It meant that they would probably break into the factory and try to find the door that they put Randall through. Mike had told him it was a door to some Cajun humans down in Louisiana. 

If these guys had really cared about Randall, why didn’t they come forward a long time ago? There might have been time to save him. But it was more than likely too late. Randall was sure to be long gone or dead by now. 

Sulley would have to tell the CDA about this.   
…………..

The gang returned to their warehouse and told Waternoose what information they had found all too useful. 

“So what did you find out?” Waternoose demanded. 

Fungus was working on the machine, but stopped to hear what they were saying. 

“We got some good information. Wazowski said that he and Sullivan threw Boggs into the human world after that door chase. He’s been gone since then.” The Creeper replied. 

“They banished him illegally.” Waternoose said. “But no different than what me and Randall did to them. Did he say where? What section of the world?” 

“Somewhere in the southern US. A swamp.” Swifty said. “I’ve heard of it before. I saw some accounts while I was looking through the files. But I had no idea Boggs was there. Nothing was ever revealed where he was.” 

“Of course it wouldn’t be! Sullivan and Wazowski wouldn’t want anyone to know about what they had done to Boggs. Swifty, the next time you go through the files, look for any doors that have been destroyed that were not on file, then you have the door!” Waternoose ordered. 

“Yes, Sir.” Swifty said. 

Fungus knew this was trouble. But he got back to work. Of course, he didn’t want Randall being mean to him again. He already had more than enough bad luck going on with all these big baddies being around him and ordering him around and hitting him. 

But after what happened, Mike was more than likely going to tell Sulley what happened and they in turn, would tell the CDA. It would be better to lay low for a few days, or go somewhere else.   
.....................

They laid low for a little over a month instead before Swifty finally managed to get in again. He looked through many files until he finally found it. The destroyed door down in the Louisiana bayou. Cajun humans lived there and were some of the most dangerous people, if some of the most stupid to knowing what actual creatures were. 

Swifty looked through some more files to find a place that might have been close by. He found one. He took the file with him and showed Waternoose. 

Waternoose knew a secret way into the factory, and it was better done at night. Since the basement was near the sewers, they could get inside that way, from the sewers. 

Three of the Nomad gang, Tank, Smasher, and Spyder were going to go inside to this swamp and see if they could find the lizard. They planned to be gone for a few days, but the door would be left in place. There were some old, abandoned parts of the factory too to take the door. It would be left on standby. 

Waternoose led the three monsters chosen to go to the human world through the sewers to the secret way into the basement and up and out that way, and into the factory. They got the code for the door to be used, summoned it and got it, then went to an abandoned part of the factory. 

The door was hooked up first, then the code put in from the card. The door was activated and the three monsters snuck inside, without scaring the child that was in the room. Waternoose didn’t want any of his plans ruined this time. But he didn’t care if these other monsters paid a price, as long as they found Randall to finish this up.   
………………

For over a week, they searched these swamps and found nothing. No trace of the lizard. He was probably dead. It would be easy to get lost out here or eaten by the gators that swam in this filthy, stinky place. Plus it was hot and muggy. 

Tank, Smasher, and Spyder were ready to head back. It took the same amount of time getting back just as they went into the swamp and back to the same house. They had their own way of activating the closet to get back to the monster world. They had a special remote. 

They all got into the house and back to the child’s closet. They got back to their world and had to tell the boss that there was no trace of the lizard monster. 

“You keep working on that machine!” Waternoose kept ordering Fungus. He wanted it working perfectly. 

The machine was near completed and ready to soon be tested. But, would it work properly?


	9. Chapter 9

Bishop was ready to make his next move against the turtles, and for getting the purple lizard back. He wanted to really know more about him.   
………………

Just as promised as the new hole in the wall would provide for the turtles or Randall to come and go as they pleased, Mikey definitely came over the most of all the turtles to hang out with Randall when he was home at April’s house. 

Randall sometimes got overwhelmed with Mikey’s overall childish enthusiasm. But it wore on him too. Mike knew how to bring out Randall’s playful side, when he wasn’t busy with something else, that like if he was with another of Mikey’s family. 

One day, Mikey was annoying both Don and Randall, and Leo and Raph with just wanting to help make a machine. Leo and Raph were busy with training with each other. Don and Randall were trying to work on a new vehicle. Mikey just wanted someone to play video games with and share his new comic book with. 

“Aw, please, guys, somebody play with me!” Mikey whined. 

“Michelangelo, enough!” Splinter slammed his cane down on the floor. “Either go for a run in the sewers or go above and get some air. It will do you good rather than being down here and annoying your brothers.” The rat ordered. “Just find something else to do!” He was clearly annoyed as well. 

Mikey looked about around the lair at the others. They all had on annoyed glares.   
“Fine! You’re all no fun anyway!” Mikey snapped. 

“We’re busy, Mikey. We’ve told you that.” Don said. 

Mikey went to the elevator and took it to the top. 

“Maybe now we can get some peach and quiet around here.” Raph said before he and Leo continued training. 

“But perhaps, one of you should go after him in case he runs into trouble.” Splinter advised. 

“I’m busy with my new invention.” Don said. 

“We’re training, Father.” Leo said. 

Randall knew it would be up to him then. “I’ll go.” 

“That is good, Randall. Make sure he stays out of trouble.” Splinter said. 

Randall went to the elevator and waited for it to come back down and he got on it. This was one awesome elevator. He got off when it opened again and found Mikey had already gotten outside and taken to the rooftops. Randall took off after him. 

He was fast enough to catch up to the turtle. Mikey was headed towards Brooklyn. He might not go there, but was headed that direction. He was very upset at the moment. 

Mikey soon stopped on a rooftop, breathing hard. 

“Hey, Mike, wait up!” Mikey heard the voice. He turned and saw Randall coming up behind him. 

“I thought you were too busy with the new invention?” Mikey said with upset. 

“Splinter sent me. Just to make sure you don’t get into trouble.” Randall replied. 

“I just want to hang out with everyone.” 

“We know and it’s how you ask us that tends to get on our nerves. You should try doing it when they don’t seem to be busy.” Randall suggested. 

“Even when I do, they always say they don’t want a thing to do with me. That’s why I come to your apartment.” Mikey said. 

“We could go there now, or do a patrol, just the two of us. Two guys just hanging out.” Randall suggested with a smile.

“Alright. Let’s go!” Mikey gave him a high three. “I’ll race ya to the high spire!” Mikey pointed west. 

“You gotta run for your money!” Randall grinned. 

The turtle and the lizard began a race across the rooftops, destined for the spire. 

Unknown to them, they were being watched. Some commandos were watching the rooftops tonight and had spotted them. 

“Agent Bishop, I see a turtle and a lizard right now.” The man said. 

“Good. Proceed. Get them both.” Bishop ordered over the phone. 

The man gave the order and the helicopter and other men moved in to collect their prizes.

Randall and Mikey ran and jumped over many rooftops in style and grace that they had of their own accords. They were in a little friendly competition. Whoever won would pay April for the pizza for their now planned evening of video games back at the basement. 

But before they could even get there, a big helicopter came from behind a big, tall building and surprised them both, making them stop in their tracks. 

“Stop where you are, freaks! Or we will open fire!” came the order from the loudspeaker. 

“Over our dead bodies!” Randall shouted at them. 

“Bishop’s flunky commandos!” Mikey said. Then they both heard clicks behind them and turned around. 

“Hands up!” A man ordered. 

Mikey and Randall looked at each other, and smiled in silent agreement. They nodded their heads at one another, and then looked at the humans in front of them. 

Mikey did have his shell cell on him, but would only use it if he had to, or he could let Randall use it. Randall stood a better chance at getting away. 

The humans began to step toward them with guns aimed on them. Mike and Randall held their hands up for a moment, but when the commandos got close to them, they both instantly retaliated. 

Mikey jumped onto his hands and kicked at two guns with his feet, knocking the men into five others. Randall body jumped onto two of them and pushed three more into four others. Then they jumped away. 

Some of the commandos got up and started firing, making them jump and run more. The other commandos got out of the way. 

Mikey took out his nunchukus and he began giving them shell and he was lucky to not get shot in the process. Randall vanished and jumped onto them where they were by themselves, and tripped them up. 

After they had jumped onto another rooftop, Randall reappeared and he got close to Mikey, but that was when a copter chose to fire its own gun. There was a big explosion in the rooftop, as they were near it. 

Mikey was forced forward onto his stomach. He had banged one of his arms on the roof real hard. His shell cell was thrown a few inches away as well. Randall was thrown the other way, and into another building, through a window. He hit the wall real hard, knocking the wind out of him, making him go down. There had also been a SNAP in his lower left arm, one of his front legs as well, and there were a few glass shards buried in his skin. His tail was also under some debris, pinning it down. 

The commandos came over and got a gurney for the fallen turtle. He would be good bait for the other turtles. Then they tried finding that lizard too. 

The smoke from the explosion had luckily not shown where Randall had ended up. 

Randall tried to stay conscious long enough to get up and move, but he just couldn’t. His vision was just lapsed with blacking out. But he could hear the copter. He tried hard to get up, but he couldn’t. And he was breathing harder. He felt a pain down in his lower chest.

Michelangelo was put onto the gurney and taken captive, being all tied down and unconscious. Then he was taken onto the copter. Commandos tried looking for the lizard, and couldn’t find a trace of him. 

“We can’t find the lizard anywhere, Agent Bishop. He can just vanish too.” The man said. 

“I don’t want any excuses. You find him, or else!” Bishop ordered. 

“Yes, Sir.” 

The commandos kept on looking for him. Some of the building next door had also been affected by the blast from the copter, but it was mostly rubble at the entrance to where Randall had gotten thrown inside and rubble was everywhere else. 

After some time, the commandos couldn’t find him, they gave up. He had to have gotten away in their opinions, but Mike wasn’t getting away that easily. The humans left the scene and went back to their trucks. They had one turtle and knew the others would want their brother back, and they would try to track them down. 

Randall tried so hard to stay awake, but with the newfound pain in his body, he finally gave into the blackness.   
……………..

Back at the lair, it was almost time for bed. 

Leo and Raph had stopped training awhile ago. Leo was now meditating and Raph was doing some weight lifting. Don was still working on his new vehicle, and Splinter was watching one of his favorite shows. 

When Splinter’s show ended, it was time for bed. 

“It is time for bed, my sons. You all have training in the morning.” Splinter said. 

“But Mikey isn’t back yet, Master.” Don said. 

“Knowing him, he and Randall went over to April’s to play video games.” Raph decreed. 

“I’ll wait up for him.” Leo said. 

“Alright, Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

“Well, at least Mikey got out of the lair and stopped annoying us.” Raph said. 

“Yeah, but he still could have needed us.” Don said. 

“If he needed us, he would have called.” Leo added. “Go on, I’ll wait for him.” 

They all said goodnight and retreated to their own rooms. Leo called Randall’s phone at April’s and he didn’t answer. Then he tried Mikey’s phone, and no answer. 

“That’s strange. They should have answered by now.” Leo said. “I am going to have one stern lecture for Mikey if he doesn’t pick up the phone.” Then he dialed April’s phone. 

“Hello?” A sleepy April picked up. 

“Hi, April. It’s Leo. Is Mikey at your place with Randall?” Leo asked. 

“I don’t know. I’ve been sleeping all night. Got a bad cold.” She said. 

“Could you check, please?” 

“Yes.” 

April got out of bed and went downstairs to the basement. The basement was quiet. She knocked on Randall’s door and no answer. She even opened it and it was dark. Then she turned on the light and no one was even there. 

“They aren’t here, Leo. I checked.” April said. 

“That’s strange. But then, they both could be still out on a patrol or goofing around. But Mikey wouldn’t not answer his shell cell without being in trouble.” 

“I’ll be there if you need anything.” April said. 

“Thank you, and feel better.” Leo said and hung up. He would wait awhile. 

But Mikey never showed up that morning, and when the others got up for training, Leo was plenty tired, but for him, as leader, there was no time for sleeping. 

Don, Raph, and Splinter came into the training area and Leo was there waiting for them. “Guys, Mikey and Randall didn’t come home last night at all.” Leo said. 

“Wonder where they could be?” Don asked. 

“I don’t know. What about April’s?” Raph asked. 

“I checked, and April said they weren’t there.” Leo said. 

“This means that they could be in trouble.” Splinter said. 

Don went to go look at his tracking equipment to look up Mikey’s tracker in his phone, and he found it, about seven blocks close to April’s place. It was holding still, not moving for a long moment. 

“I have located Mikey’s shell cell, close to April’s. We should go see what’s going on.” Don suggested. 

They all went up to the garage and got in the Battle Shell and took off, following the trail. The phone was not moving, so something was going on. 

“I hope he’s not hurt.” Raph said. 

“Me too.” Don said. 

“We’ll find him and Randall.” Leo said. 

They soon got to the location and saw there was smoke coming from a bit of a blown off rooftop. They all looked up and were horrified. Mikey had to be up there!

They all got out of the truck and climbed up to the top of the building. Don’s tracker device led to the phone on the rooftop. 

“Spread out and look for them!” Leo ordered. 

They all spread out and began looking under debris, but there was no trace seen of Randall or Mikey. Splinter began smelling the air to see if he could catch waves of a scent, but he smelled smoke more than anything. 

“I cannot find a scent because of too much smoke here.” Splinter said. 

“Keep trying, Father.” Leo said. “They have to be here somewhere.” 

They all were facing being seen by being here in broad daylight, but then, the sirens were coming. That was when they had to leave.   
…………….

Randall managed to wake up for a brief moment and swore he saw a mutant turtle go by a window, but he was too weak to call out and he passed out again. He had taken a good blow to the head as well.   
…………….

Splinter and his sons were disappointed that they didn’t find either of them. 

“Whoever did that obviously took them both.” Don said. 

“We can eliminate the Shredder as the culprit. Karai said she would keep her promise to us.” Leo said. 

“Then there’s Bishop.” Raph pointed out. “One of his helicopters coulda blew the building up.” 

“We’ll have to wait till tonight to go back and look for signs of them and when the smoke will be out.” Leo said. 

“I hope Bishop doesn’t have them.” Don said. 

“Me too, my sons. We will find them.” Splinter said. “But until tonight, try to go get some sleep, Leonardo. You need your rest and it won’t help Michelangelo or Randall if you are tired.” 

Leo knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he had to try because his father had a point. He went to try to go to bed. 

Don worked restlessly on his computer to try to locate his baby brother and his friend. 

Raph beat up on the punching bag, but a little more quietly so Leo could try to sleep. 

Splinter went to meditation to see if he could try to locate Mikey and Randall’s auras, or spirits. 

It took awhile, but Splinter could feel that both of them were still alive; he just didn’t know where.


	10. Chapter 10

Mikey woke up in a big, white cell. He was alone. All of his gear had been taken from him, even his mask. The last thing he remembered was being attacked by Bishop’s commandoes and he and Randall were trying to outsmart and fight them. 

Mikey could take comfort that his family wasn’t here, but Randall had become like family. He was sure to be here somewhere too. He tried to find a way out of the cell, other than the door that he saw. 

The wall was thickly padded, but it still held strong. There were no weaknesses in the walls. Then Mikey noticed his right arm was badly bruised from his elbow to his wrist. He pressed on it, and he gave a big wince. 

His arm was either badly sprained, or broken. He couldn’t move his wrist. He put his arm against his chest to keep it compromised and not be bumped about. 

Bishop knew he had the turtle known as Michelangelo. He had wanted to dissect him a long time ago. Right now, he was bait for the lizard, and his family. He was wanting his army of super soldiers. The lizard’s DNA was bound to be powerful than just a small dose of it. 

Mikey tried kicking the door down multiple times, but it still didn’t work, and soon, his arm began to throb. It made him go to the back corner and sit down so he wasn’t hurting himself anymore. He hoped his family would find him soon. He was so scared. He also hoped Randall was okay.   
……………..

It was a solid four days later and the family had heard nothing of what became of Mikey and Randall. They had begun looking through every block of the city at night while resting during the day. 

Luckily, at this time, they were all at home, with April and Casey there as well to help out. Leo was going over the strategies to where everyone was going to go, when there was a sound familiar to them. It was the elevator!

They all looked over, and a big, purple lizard stumbled out of it. He was holding his lower left arm. He was also gasping for breath. He had a big piece of glass sticking out of his right side above his second pair of arms, along with other shards of glass in his skin. 

“Help!” Randall called out to them. He was limping badly, and then he fell to the floor on the left side, making sure not to fall on the glass in his right side. 

“Randall!” They all cried out and ran over to him. 

Don picked Randall’s head up. “Randall, what happened? Where’s Mikey?” he asked gently. 

“Commandoes! Blast!” Randall managed to say. His breathing was labored, and he was bleeding from many cuts left from the glass.

“Let’s get him to the infirmary.” Don ordered. 

Leo and Raph gently carried him there so Don and April could patch him up. 

Randall was conscious as Don and April began examining him for injuries. Some of the cuts would need stitches. It was when they came to his left lower arm and front leg when they were met with big cries of pain from the lizard. 

Don massaged the leg and arm, and found they were broken. April felt his ribs and there were three broken ribs as well. His tail had a dent in it from where a piece of debris had fallen on it, indicating a broken bone there as well. April also found a huge lump on his head. And there was the glass still in his lower right side. 

“You really did take a huge blow.” Don said. 

Randall nodded. 

“How’s your vision?” April asked. 

“Sometimes blurry. My head hurts… but then, my whole body does.” Randall admitted. 

“You might have a concussion.” April said. “You have three broken ribs that I felt. And I‘m worried if you have a pierced lung with your gaspy breathing.” 

“And a broken leg, arm, and in your tail. I’ll have to take x-rays to be certain of all injuries.” Don said. “Where did all these cuts and the glass come from?” 

“Window! Wall! How long… was I gone?” Randall asked. “I… didn’t dare pull… glass out… Too deep…” 

“Good idea. I’ll have to extract the carefully.” Don said. 

“Four days, and you haven’t seen Mikey?” April asked. 

“No. Not since… the blast.” 

“What did that blast?” Don asked. 

“Helicopter… Bishop.” Randall’s breathing was getting heavier and faster. 

“Randall, try to slow your breathing down.” April said, coaxing him. 

“Just take some deep, slow breaths.” Don said. 

“Randall, we’re going to have to put you to sleep to treat your injuries.” Don said, “But how did you make it back here in this condition?” 

“I was knocked… out first. In other building… opposite of blown up roof. Went through a window… hit a wall. Debris, glass… everywhere.” He managed to say in a weak voice. “Couldn’t help… Mike.” 

Now they understood why he was in this condition. After that, they knocked Randall out to treat his injuries and put a breathing tube down into his lungs so he could breathe properly. 

Outside the infirmary, the others wondered if Randall knew where Mikey was. They felt for him to be in this condition, but they wanted their brother back. They all felt a little guilty for being mad at him before he left the lair. 

Soon, after four hours, Don and April came out of the infirmary after treating Randall’s wounds. 

“How’s Randall? Is he going to live, Donny?” Leo asked. 

“He’s in really critical shape. He managed to explain what happened before we knocked him out.” Don explained. 

“What happened, bro?” Raph asked.

“Bishop’s commandoes tried to get them. There was a helicopter that blasted at the roof they were on. Randall was blown into that other building across from where we were looking for him and Mikey. Mikey was captured. Who knows if he’s hurt.” Don explained the story. 

“Randall has some broken ribs, broken tail, broken leg and an arm. And a concussion. And he had a bit of pierced lung in the right side. He had many glass shards buried in his skin from a broken window. We put a breathing tube in his side to help with the pierced lung.” April explained what was wrong with him. “It took him awhile to come out of the shock he was in to make it back here.”

“How is he now?” Splinter asked, concerned. 

“Sleeping peacefully.” April replied. “We have a breathing tube down him to help ease his breathing. He‘s also hooked up to a heart monitor because of his ribs and the pierced lung. He‘s also on an IV for fluids to prevent dehydration and pain meds.” 

“He took quite a beating.” Casey said, finally breaking his silence. 

“But how soon are we going to find Mikey?” Raph growled. “Bishop would be trying to do something to him by now for sure!” He pounded his left fist into his right. He was ready for some action. 

“I’ll get Leatherhead to help me monitor Randall while you guys go find your brother.” April said. 

“Thanks, April.” Leo said. 

Leo, Raph, Splinter, and Casey went up to the Battle Shell to do another search for Mikey. April called Leatherhead that Randall was hurt and he was needed. 

The croc responded immediately. He came over to help look after Randall and April told him the story. He growled at the mention of Bishop. That monster human just didn’t know when to stop interfering in their lives.   
…………..

After the defeat of the Shredder, one of his workers had managed to sneak out and start a working relationship with Agent Bishop. It was Baxter Stockman. After so many punishments given out by the Shredder for failing, Stockman was so glad when his boss had been destroyed by the turtles, even when he still hated them. 

Stockman was studying the DNA makeup of the turtles and the lizard he had heard so much about. The lizard was truly unique in the genetic makeup, as it was nothing he had seen before. And it was nothing like a normal lizard’s either. 

Baxter could see why his new boss wanted the lizard back so badly. He had been seen a few nights ago with the turtle they currently had, known as Michelangelo. But now, the lizard had disappeared. More than likely, he had made his way back to the mutant family. 

Mikey had been taken out and questioned many times by now about where his family was and where the lizard was. He wouldn’t talk at all about that, and he had gotten multiple cuts on his arms and legs for it. His hurt arm still hadn’t been treated, and Mikey was certain it was broken. 

Whenever he was returned to his cell after being cut up, Mikey couldn’t help but cry. He prayed and hoped beyond hope that his family would come for him. He still remembered how things had been left off when he had left home that night. At least Randall had been willing to come after him, even if his father had sent him. He just hoped he would see Randall again. 

Bishop wanted to begin dissection on the turtle if he wasn’t going to talk soon, but he would give him two more weeks. Then there would be dissection. 

Mikey was afraid of Bishop and hated him like he had the Shredder. But he would never betray his family like this by giving him their whereabouts. 

On the next time Mikey was taken out to be questions, he was strapped down and threatened with the dissection needle, again. 

“Tell me where your family is, Michelangelo. Where is the lizard known as Randall?” Bishop demanded. 

“I’ll never betray my family, Bishop! I’ll never tell you anything!” Mikey said angrily. 

“Even if it means your life?” 

“Yes!”

“You have two more weeks to tell me what I want to know, or you will be dissected!” Bishop got in his face. 

“No!” 

This turtle was being very stubborn, but then, Bishop didn’t doubt his loyalty to his family. He loved them. 

“I need an army of super soldiers to defend this Earth from the threat of alien invasion, Michelangelo. And I need something beyond human DNA to do it. And your DNA is beyond that of a normal turtle and Earth creature. So was Randall’s. Tell me where they are!” Bishop ordered. 

“Never in a million years!” Mikey said angrily. 

“Very well. Then suffer the consequences.” Bishop said, and he hit Mikey’s hurt arm, right into the middle of it. 

Mikey cried out in such pain. There was a bone crack inside the arm. 

Then, an alarm suddenly went off. 

“What’s going on?!” Bishop demanded. He had an earpiece on and a secretary came on, saying, “We have a security breach, Agent Bishop, Sir. There are multiple mutant creatures fighting their way inside, Sir.” 

“Good. I knew this turtle would be good bait for his family.” Bishop said smiling. “Looks like your family is here to save you, Michelangelo, but they are going to be joining you in my efforts to create my army of super soldiers.” 

“In your dreams, Bishop!” Mikey yelled back at him. 

Then the doors slammed open. “Get away from our brother, Bishop!” Leonardo ordered the man. 

“It’s good that you’re here, Turtles. Michelangelo has been missing you. Now you all can help me out with what I want.” Bishop said evilly. 

“No way are we ever going to help you, Bishop!” Raphael growled. 

The turtles and Casey then jumped forward to try to get Bishop away from Mikey. They knew he could beat them, but they just had to get him away from Mikey so Master Splinter could get him loose. 

The three turtle brothers and Casey got Bishop away from Mikey, even though they all were easily deterred. Splinter got by them and he set Mikey free of his straps. 

“Master Splinter! I thought you guys weren’t coming!” Mikey said happily. 

“We have been searching for you, Michelangelo. We would never give up on you, my son.” Splinter said as he helped him up and hugged him. 

“I knew you wouldn’t. What about Randall?” 

“He’s at home, wounded.” 

“He was hurt in the blast?” 

“Yes, very, but we can continue this discussion later, my son. Stay here. I see you are in no condition to fight.” Splinter said. He could see his youngest son was covered in cuts and bruises. 

“I have a broken arm.” Mikey said. He cradled his arm against his chest and stomach. 

“I have to help your brothers. Stay here.” Splinter said and jumped in to join the fray against Bishop. The man was giving his three other sons a good runaround fight. 

Leo, Raph, Casey, and Don were all knocked into the wall, and he was menacing toward them with one of Leo’s swords in his hands. 

“BISHOP! Stay away from my sons!” Splinter yelled out. 

The man barely saw the rat coming before he moved, but used the katana to block Splinter’s stick from connecting with his head. He and Splinter got into a good fight and Splinter barely managed to get the katana back to Leonardo. 

“Let us finish this, my sons!” Splinter said angrily. 

“Ditto!” Donatello said in agreement. 

The turtles and Casey lined up behind Splinter. 

Bishop knew there was no beating them this time. He was near an escape route. It was either take it, or take them all on again, and get back to the wounded turtle in the back. He would be back. 

“You haven’t seen the last of me, mutants!” Bishop laughed maniacally. Then he escaped through two double doors behind him. 

“No! Don’t let him get away!” Leo ordered and he and his brothers charged forward. They were met with the door in their faces. 

“It is pointless to try, my sons. There will be another day and time. For now, we need to get Michelangelo home and treated.” Splinter said calmly. 

They all walked over as saw that Mikey didn’t look good at all. 

“Are you alright, Mikey?” Don asked. 

“No. I have a broken arm.” Mikey said. 

“Let’s get you out of here, little bro.” Raph said. He gladly helped Mikey walk out of the hideout. 

They had found Mikey in what looked like an underground lab. Splinter had sensed where his son was and had picked up a bit of a scent. It hadn’t rained in days, so he was able to pick it up. He had been found in the Bronx. 

Mikey was helped into the Battle Shell and onto the bed in the back. Raph drove home. Don checked him over on the way home. He could clearly see that Mikey didn’t feel well and the arm on his front was badly injured. The skin was so dark because of bad bruising to it. 

Leo called back to the lair and told them they had found Mikey, injured, but alive. April and Leatherhead were glad to hear it. 

“How’s Randall?” Leo asked. 

“He’s still out of it. He has a fever.” April replied. “But his breathing and heart are stable.” 

“We found Mikey in the Bronx. We’ll be home soon.” Leo said. 

“We’ll be waiting to help.” April said. 

It was quite a drive, but soon, they arrived home. Mikey had fallen asleep on the way home. He was exhausted. 

Once in the garage, Don gently awoke Mikey. “Mikey, we’re home now. Let’s get you down to the lair and treated.” 

“Okay, Don.” Mikey groaned. He was in serious pain, but glad to be back with his family. 

They all got out of the truck and took the elevator down to the lair. There, April and LH greeted them in the infirmary. 

Mikey had a chance to see Randall first, and he was sleeping. He could see he wasn’t in good shape either. “What’s Randall’s condition?” He asked. 

“Broken ribs, tail, arm, and a leg. Punctured lung. Multiple cuts from glass shards. And a concussion.” April answered. “He was in shock for awhile following the blast, and it took him awhile to get back. Plus with the glass in his lung too made it hard for him to breathe.” 

Mikey’s condition could have been worse too if it hadn’t been for his shell. His shell had saved him a bit more. But when Don looked him over again and took x-rays, his right shoulder had also been dislocated. 

Don, April, and Leatherhead got to work on Mikey right away after that. He was knocked out so they could work without him being in pain. 

His shoulder was put back in place, though it was a little stubborn because it hadn’t been dealt with right away. Then they set the bones in the arm back in place. It had fractured in his wrist and lower arm. Then they set about putting his arm in a cast and sling. The many other wounds on his body were rubbed down and disinfected, and a few needed stitches. 

The arm would take a good six to eight weeks to heal, but his wounds should be healed in about a couple of weeks. Mikey would be okay in time. 

Mikey was moved to a cot and he was covered up with a blanket and left to sleep off the anesthesia. 

When Don, April and LH left the infirmary for a breather, the others all came up to them. 

“So what’s Mikey’s condition?” Casey asked. 

“He’s got many cuts and bruises, along with a broken arm, and had a dislocated shoulder on the right side.” April replied. 

“So, he’s not as wounded as Randall was?” 

“No, he wasn’t, but most of it was Bishop’s doing, not from the blast.” Don said. “We just need to watch him for signs of fever and heavy pain in the coming hours.” 

“If he gets a fever, it’s understandable after what was done to him.” LH said. “But they both need a lot of rest.” 

“And we’ll make sure they get it.” Leo said. “I’ll take the first watch. You guys should take a break.” 

“We all need a break, Leo. We have all been stressing for so many days now looking for Mikey, and what happened to Randall.” Don said. 

While Leo got comfortable in the infirmary, everyone else went to get some much needed sleep. 

Leo watched Randall’s heart monitor and he kept on wetting two washrags with cool water and put them on Randall and Mikey’s foreheads to try to keep fevers down. He was glad they both were back here, safe at last. But they still weren’t out of the woods yet. 

Randall finally took a deep breath, and his eyes started to open for the first time in hours. “Hmm.” He moaned. 

Leo took notice that Randall was waking up. “Randall? How are you feeling?” 

Randall recognized Leo’s mask in front of him. He tried to swallow, but couldn’t. His voice came out muffled.

Leo saw that he didn’t like the tube in his throat. He went over to make sure he didn’t panic. “Take it easy, Randall. We had to put a tube down your throat to make sure you were able to breathe okay because you have a punctured lung.” 

Randall calmed down when Leo told him that. “I… think I can… breathe… fine… now.” he said. 

“It needs to stay in a little longer to be sure. Is there something you need?” Leo asked. 

“Thirsty.” 

“It might have to wait awhile yet. You need some more rest. There’s an IV in one of your arms giving you fluids and pain medication for the time being.” Leo said. 

Randall hated it when he was denied something he wanted, such as a basic need. But at least he wasn’t going to be allowed to get dehydrated. Then he looked at a bed opposite to him and saw the darker green skin. 

“Mike?” Randall asked. 

“Yes, he’s here, Randall. We found him. He has a broken arm and was cut up some by Bishop. He’ll be fine soon. Just as you are.” Leo tried to comfort the lizard’s worries for his friend. 

Randall then felt the rag on his head. He raised a hand to take it off. 

“You have a bit of a fever right now, Randall. It’s to help keep it down. You need to get some more sleep, and we’ll see about taking the tube out again real soon.” Leo said. 

Randall still did feel tired, but he had just wanted to wake up for a few moments and see if Mike had been saved. At least now, his mind was set at rest that he was safe. It wasn’t long before he fell to sleep again, which calmed Leo down a lot more. 

Over the next few hours, Mikey and Randall just slept off their fevers. Randall’s was worse because he had been in shock previously. Leo did his best to keep it down. 

Don came in next to take over so Leo could go get some rest. It was time for the doctor of the bunch to check in on them anyway. 

“How are they, Leo?” Don asked. 

“They’re stable, but Randall’s temperature was rising. I did my best to keep it down.” Leo said. 

“Don’t blame yourself for this, Leo. We couldn’t have known what would happen. Doing your best is all you can do. We all will help them beat this.” Don laid a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re worried about them, especially Mikey, but you need to keep yourself rested too. Go get some sleep, bro.” 

“I know. I will. Thanks, Don.” Leo said and went to his room. He just hoped he would be able to sleep. He removed his gear and tucked himself into his bed. Sleep did come fast for him as he hadn’t realized how exhausted he was. 

When Don felt both Mike and Randall’s foreheads, Mikey’s wasn’t too bad, just a slight fever, but Randall’s had risen too high. He checked the heart monitor and it was a little irregular. He had a pierced lung after all. Don just hoped Randall’s lungs weren’t filling with fluid or anything. 

Don used a portable x-ray and took one of Randall’s chest to make sure. Once it came out, there was no fluid in his lungs, luckily, but he was too worried to not get April and Leatherhead up. 

“Put some cold water over his body. That can also help to bring his temperature down.” LH said. 

Randall’s breathing was sounding a bit off, but due to his injury of the lung. He was moaning in his sleep. He was battling one heck of a fever. His friends hoped he wasn’t on the verge of getting pneumonia, or worse. He had done so much for them by now, and they were going to be there for him. 

Don went to go get some cold water in the tub, and they were going to put him in it. When it was filled, Don called them in, and Leatherhead carried Randall in and gently laid him into the tub. April was pushing his IV behind the croc. 

Randall didn’t awaken, but he looked like he was in pain. After a few minutes, steam began rising from the water, his hot body interacting with the cold water. They were hoping it was starting to bring the fever down. 

The bandages on Randall’s body were now wet, and would be changed later, but they had to keep his temperature down first. 

They let him stay in the tub for a half hour, and the water was fully steamed up by then, having melted some of the fever off of the hurt lizard’s body. 

Leatherhead finally lifted him out of the water and they went to work drying him off before taking him back to the infirmary. Don got some more cold water to put in a bucket so they could continue wiping down Randall’s body as needed to keep the fever down. 

After a few more hours, everyone but Leo was up and helping to take part in the aftercare of what happened. Even Raph, Splinter, and Casey became concerned about Randall. Mikey was faring much better. He still had a mild fever and was just sleeping heavily, as he was able to do, but he was moaning about in his sleep a bit too. Probably just bad dreams of what had happened with Bishop. 

After a couple more hours, Leo was up again too. He had been truly exhausted, as had they all from having been so stressed out worrying about the two injured ones being missing the past few days. They all had gotten some rest, but now, there was still stress to worry about: making sure the fevers didn’t rise any higher. 

Mike’s temperature was staying constant, and seemed to be lowering after a one-time soaking of the cold water on his body. Randall had to be kept soaked constantly to keep his down. 

After the first 48 hours passed, Mikey’s fever was broken and he came to. He was wanting some food, as apparently, Bishop hadn’t fed him. He was a little thin. But he was also concerned for Randall too. He was still weak, but he also started to take over for him as well. 

“The reason why I think Randall is so much more injured than I am is because he was closer to the spot where the blast from the copter took place.” Mikey tried to remember, but it had happened so fast, it was hard to see it in his mind. 

“Whatever happened, Mikey, we’re doing our best to see to it that he is going to make it.” Don said, giving his good shoulder a squeeze. Mikey was sitting next to Randall’s bed. Then, Don went to go get Mikey some of the soup that had been made again. 

Mikey looked sadly over at his friend lying in the bed, who had been unconscious now for three days straight. “Please, don’t die, Randall. Aside from my family, you’re the best friend I have. I know I have Silver Sentry too, but I don’t see him nearly as much. You spice up my life and have my back a lot more. I’ll do anything to make this up to you.” he pleaded for him to come back. 

Since the last soaking of his body, Randall’s fever had finally lowered enough to where it wasn’t so critical anymore, but he still needed to wake up. 

Splinter then came in to see how Randall was doing. “Any changes, Michelangelo?” 

“No. Just a lowering of his fever. I don’t get why he hasn’t woken up yet.” Mikey said. 

“Randall is fighting a spiritual battle of the infection in his body, and possibly in his mind too.” Splinter said. 

Don brought in a bowl of soup for Mikey to eat. “Here’s some more soup, Mikey.” He offered his brother. 

“Thanks, Don.” Mikey replied. He set his soup on a little table next to him and he ate it with his good hand. Being one handed would be something to get used to for awhile. 

As Don watched Mikey eat the soup, he still remembered the older Mikey with the one arm, but it was the opposite this time. But Mikey’s broken arm would mend. It wasn’t amputated. 

Mikey would much rather be doing other things right now, but with Randall stuck in here, he wasn’t going to leave his side anytime soon until he knew he was really alright. It would be the same if it was one of his brothers or father. 

“Randall, if you wake up, you can have all sorts of awesome foods.” Mikey said, waving his bowl of soup in front of his nose to see if it would rouse him. It didn’t. “I’m sorry I got you into that mess.” Mikey apologized for what happened. 

“Let him be, Mikey. Why don’t you go and get some more rest.” Leo came in again to take over. “You can go to your room, or the couch if you wish.” 

“I can’t leave him, Leo.” 

“We’re all here to help look after him, Mikey. He’s fine now that his fever is lowered.” Leo said. “I’ll watch him. I’ll let you know the minute I know anything is changed.” 

Mikey knew Leo was true to his word. He reluctantly went to the couch to get some sleep. His own room was upstairs, and he didn’t want to go upstairs at the moment. 

Leo sat down in the chair once Mikey was gone from the room. As he looked at the lizard, he seemed to be looking much better than he was earlier. “I hope you wake up soon, Randall. Mikey blames himself for what happened to you. You have been a good friend and ally. If anything, you might have saved Mikey from the worst of injuries that you got from that blast. It’s hard to say what happened because we weren’t there with you guys that night. Please wake up soon.” Leo talked to him. 

Randall went on sleeping peacefully. When Don examined him later, he deduced that he was in a coma. Randall could wake up in his own time, or, not at all. His fever was now gone, but he just still hadn’t woken up yet, at least not since before he had first talked to Leo before he had went under and stayed under. 

The others were glad Mikey was awake, but he wouldn’t stop feeling guilty. They wanted their happy baby brother back instead of this sad one. But there was only one thing that would make that happen. 

When Mikey wasn’t with Randall, he would be sleeping, or sitting on the couch, petting his cat, Klunk. The cat seemed to think that his master had something upsetting on his mind and was being there for him. And there was. 

They all grew worried more by the day if Randall was ever going to wake up. On the fifth day, Don said to the others, “We’ll give Randall a month, and if he doesn’t wake up by then, we might have to let him go. We don’t want him to suffer.” He said regrettably. 

“We understand, Don.” Leo said. 

“He’s been good to us.” Raph said, “compared to when he first came and what we found out about him.” 

“He also saved Michelangelo from getting more seriously hurt from the blast before being caught by Bishop’s men.” Splinter said. 

“I don’t want to see him go.” Mikey said. 

“Mikey, if he’s suffering, it wouldn’t be right to put him through that pain.” Don said. 

“We’ve all had pain from all kinds of injuries, Don.” Mikey argued back. 

“Yes, we have, but a pierced lung can be hard to recover from. It might cause fluid to build in his lungs. I can take it out carefully, but how long would it keep him stable?” Don said, concerned. He knew this was all a risk, but he would do it for a month. He just didn’t want Randall to suffer. 

“Mikey, we don’t want Randall to be in pain. Being in a coma is no way to live. It’s up to him if he wants to live, yes, but Don is right. We can’t let him suffer.” Leo said. 

“I am sorry, Michelangelo, but your brothers are right. My sons, we will give Randall a month to come out of this coma. I too do not want to see him in pain.” Splinter said. 

Mikey hated to agree to this, but he knew it was for the better. He sadly agreed in the end.


	11. Chapter 11

It was a week later since Randall’s return and treatment, and just when it seemed that things were going to turn south, there finally came _the_ miracle!

Randall finally opened his eyes again for the first time in a week. He had had to rely on the family to take care of his needs for a whole week. He was lucky to have them.

Randall looked around the room and he came to see a dark, green skinned being in the room with him. He saw a touch of red. Raph was looking out for him this time. He was currently doing a rare thing; reading a book. He was almost ready to go to sleep.

The lizard moaned and started to move a bit, to stretch out some more.

Raph recognized something different. He looked over to see that Randall had his eyes open. He was a little startled that he dropped the book. He sat up to look at him better.

“Hey, Randall. You awake, bud?” Raph asked gently.

“Little.” He moaned out.

“Guys! He’s awake!” Raph called out.

Randall cringed at his loud voice. His ears were a little sensitive right now. Just then, everyone came running into the room.

Mikey came up first. “Randall, I’m so sorry for this.”

Don came up next, “How are you feeling?”

Randall’s eyes were now wide open and looking at the big crowd in here with him. They must have been concerned for him, for which no one had ever been this concerned over his wellbeing before as much as this.

“Tired.” Randall tried to swallow. His mouth felt so dry. “Get this… out of me…” He gagged.

“Your breathing seems just fine. Hold still.” Don said. He came over and unhooked everything before slowly and gently, guiding the tube out of his trachea.

Randall was finally able to swallow efficiently. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A little over a week. You were in a fever induced coma.” Don explained. “Your fever was really high. We had to put you in cold water just to keep your temperature down. We didn’t know if you were going to make it hence with the pierced lung making your breathing sound so hard. But at least you’re awake now.” Don smiled at him.

“I’m sorry, Randall, for what happened.” Mikey said to him.

“For what?”

“I think you had the worst of the hit from the copter blast. I had just a broken arm, but it was Bishop who did all these cuts on me.” Mikey said.

“It’s possible, but I don’t remember much. I just remember we were fighting together, trying to beat commandoes, and the blast came out of nowhere so fast.” Randall said.

To the others, it didn’t sound like Randall was blaming Mikey at all for anything. Mikey felt relieved that his friend wasn’t mad for what happened.

“So, how far gone am I?” Randall asked. “My condition, I mean?”

“You have a lot of broken bones and will need a lot of time to heal before you train or patrol again.” April spoke up. “A pierced lung that’s still healing, and you had a concussion. Your left lower arm and front leg are broken, three broken ribs, and the bone in your tail.”

Randall knew he wouldn’t be able to use his tail as a weapon for awhile.

“If what Mikey said was true, Randall, then you saved his life.” Leo said. “About you taking more of the blast.”

“It’s possible. He’s a good friend.” Randall admitted. “I just don’t remember.”

“It is alright, Randall. We will not dwell on this moment any longer. We must move on.” Splinter said.

“I second that.” Raph said. He was more than ready to move on too.

After awhile, Randall was finally allowed something to drink to wet his mouth down, then he was allowed to get up and walk. He was a little unsteady on his feet after all this time, but he managed.

His leg was in a cast. His lower arm was in the brace from before. It was acceptable for either arm. His tail was also in a cast and had to be straight out behind him, as he usually had it lifted into the air behind him to make sure no one stepped on it. His chest and upper stomach were also bandaged due to the ribs and bad lung. The lung was still healing nicely.

Soon, after seeing how well he could move around, Randall was finally given some of the same soup for his first meal since before the attack. He too, was thin, but he would manage. His stomach woke up after eating the chicken soup and wanted some more.

He was given a little more to not upset his stomach. Randall was just so hungry. The soup was fine on him. He would be living on it for the next few days to make sure his system was fully functional again. Things would only continue to improve for him with the injuries.  
……………..

In the monster world, Waternoose’s crony gang were looking in different areas to where Randall had been dumped off, but there was no trace of him anywhere. They were all calling out in these areas and calling out a bluffing lie that his banishment was over. They just hoped it would get the lizard’s attention.

After all their efforts were being thwarted, it was possible Randall was either dead or had moved on. They just weren’t finding anything.

When they told Waternoose of this, he was disappointed, but he was going to make sure that Fungus got the Scream Extractor operational again. He had studied the machine’s mechanics too. And he wasn’t leaving until it was operational.

Fungus had been missing for weeks. He was being treated horribly by his captors, and he had never thought Waternoose, someone he had known and trusted, would do this to him, or let others do this to him. He was threatened on a daily basis. He was hit on a daily basis.

From all the time that he had known his former boss, Waternoose had had a grandfatherly exterior to the public, but now, he was a criminal hell-bent on revenge.

Fungus just wanted out of this nightmare, and he heard that they couldn’t find his former scaring partner. At least then Randall was being spared this humiliation, but then, the last time he had known Randall, he had participated in this madness. Would he do it again if he was found?  
…………….

When Randall was finally well enough to leave the infirmary, he wanted to go back to April’s basement. He knew Mikey would sugarcoat his injuries, but at least he still had both of his legs intact and not broken. Leatherhead had gone home again once Randall was well again.

Aside from the broken bones, his lung had been the most concerning injury to worry about. But because of his broken leg, Don and April said it would be better for him to stay in the lair as climbing April’s stairs was probably not a good thing for him right now. There were a lot less stairs here in the lair for him.

Randall one day confronted Don, “Don, I know how Mike gets when he’s injured, and it would be a lot less stress on me if I just go to April’s. I could stay in the basement and not go upstairs until the injuries are healed. You or her could still take care of me in my own apartment.”

“True, but you shouldn’t get your casts wet either. Walking through the sewers could get them wet.” Don said.

“You guys have a stretcher. Can’t you just carry me there on it?” Randall asked.

“I suppose. I’ll talk to the others.” Don said.

Randall nodded.

Don went to talk to Leo and Raph and they agreed to take Randall back to spare him from Mike’s whining days.

They got the stretcher out and Leo and Raph let him get on it and they carried him through the sewers to April’s basement. Don stayed behind with Mikey. Today was when Mikey was getting the stitches out of his cuts that Bishop had given him. Don distracted Mikey so Leo and Raph could take Randall back to his adopted home at April’s so Mikey wouldn’t give a fuss seeing his best friend going out.

Mikey was more than happy to get his stitches out, but he still had to let his arm heal. He could still do things for himself. He still cooked, but Splinter or Raph were now helping him in the kitchen. Randall had helped too a time or two while like this, but Don didn’t want him on his injured leg too much.

Even though Mikey could still do things for himself, even train a little bit, he still needed help with only one working arm.

When Mikey got out of the infirmary with Don, he wanted to play games with Randall, and found he was gone, along with Leo and Raph.

“Where is he, Donny?” Mikey asked.

“Leo and Raph carried him back to April’s. He just wanted to go back to his home.” Don replied.

“Aww! I wanted to play some video games with him.” Mikey whined.

“You can still go over and play the games with him, but just don’t annoy him, Mikey. He still needs a lot of rest.” Don said.

This was going to be a long time period for Mikey and Randall to heal.  
……………

Leo and Raph arrived at the basement, and set the stretcher down. Randall was glad to get off of it. It had been a nice ride through the sewers, but he was ready to get on his own feet again. But he just couldn’t be allowed to get his foot cast wet. If he needed treatment, all he had to do was call and they would come get him.

As much as Randall liked the turtles as friends, he just wanted time to himself. And he knew Mikey would be really annoying over the following weeks while healing. He knew he would still come over and hang out and that was fine, but in limited quantities at the moment. The injuries were still so fresh that with the lung and ribs still healing at the most, Randall just needed all the rest he could get.

While here in his own home, April would take over Randall’s daily care of any cloth baths and getting any food from the store. Randall could still cook for himself down here. He just wouldn’t be allowed to climb the stairs for a few more weeks. Don and April knew that he shouldn’t stress his lungs.

“Thanks for bringing me back here, guys.” Randall thanked Leo and Raph.

“You’re welcome, Randall.” Leo said.

“We don’t blame ya for wantin’ to come back here to avoid Mikey’s complainin.’” Raph said.

“You know, just take it easy and get all the rest you need.” Leo said.

“I plan to.” Randall said.

“We need to go. We have some training to do back at the lair.” Leo said.

The lizard nodded his head and let them go. He looked over at the bed that awaited him. He went and climbed onto it. It did hurt him a little to walk on that leg. He was just happy to be off of it. During his time of the stitches being in his side from the lung surgery, Randall had preferred lying on his back or stomach. It was easier for him to get up from the front.

Randall was glad that monsters were definitely tougher than humans were when it came to injuries. Perhaps it had been being a monster was why he had survived such a traumatic event that had almost done him in. And once again, this had been caused by Bishop. Randall growled at the thought of that human.

Randall vowed he would take Bishop down too, at some point in the future once he recovered from this. He settled down afterwards for sleep. It felt good to be back in this bed.  
…………….

A few days later, when Mikey was visiting Randall at April’s, Randall had to ask him something.

“Mike, did Bishop ask you why he was after us?” Randall asked.

“He wanted to know where my family was, and where you were. He wants our DNA to create his super soldiers army to what he thinks is protecting the Earth from alien invasions.” Mikey explained.

“Same old story, huh?”

“Yep. But he said your DNA was very different and wanted you back most of all. It could have very bad results if he gets his hands on you again.” Mikey said.

“Yeah. He’s just like most other humans that we monsters were told about when we were young that they were bad, and they would do something to kill us and study us for the bad reasons. That was another reason perhaps why we were taught from a young age that humans were toxic.” Randall explained some lessons from his world that he remembered well.

“And of course, you know that humans aren’t toxic to you.” Mikey said.

“Not the basic touch, no.”

“Do you ever think about going back to the monster world, for your safety?” Mikey asked.

“Sometimes. I’m not the same monster that I was a year ago. Well, I am, but not the same in evil ways that I once considered to be like.” Randall said. “You guys have helped me to become a way better uh, person than I ever thought possible. You guys are the truest and best friends I’ve ever had. I never thought there was much to honor and compassion before I met you guys. Sure, when I was younger, I was nice before my fraternity taught me the dark ways, but I didn’t have anyone there to stand in my corner that seemed to really care for me like you guys do. Wazowski was for a short time before he made friends with Sullivan, but he seemed to care more about himself than me.”

Randall still preferred calling Mike Wazowski by his last name, and it helped to tell him and Michelangelo apart better by name, other than using the turtle’s whole name.

“I would miss you if you went back.” Mike said. “Would you miss us?”

“Of course. I have thought of going back to just see what things are going on in my former world. I wouldn’t cause trouble. Then I would come back. But I’ll wait until I’m well again first. I would need my invisibility there to not be caught. Chances are I could be sent to jail if I was caught. I’m sure Sullivan and Wazowski would have told what I had done with the Scream Extractor, or Mr. Waternoose would get me in trouble. I was expendable to him.”

“Just because we’re reptiles doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings. You can always count on me to be your friend, Randall. But then, your world sounds incredible too.” Mikey said.

“It probably is to the person visiting there. Don’s mentioned it to me before too that he would love to see the technology of my world if he had the chance.” Randall giggled a bit.

“Oh, I know Donny would definitely see it that way, and plus a thousand times more.” Mike laughed. “Leo and Raph would be more wary.”

“If you all ever stepped foot into my world, you would have to be very careful. The CDA are very protective about what comes into our world. Even pets from this world were considered toxic.” Randall warned.

“I hope you’ll still stay though.” Mikey pleaded.

“I’ll stay as much as I can. And if I was allowed to stay in my old world, I would plan to visit. There are secret stations in the factory that some of us knew to have access to that were done unseen from the CDA.”

Randall knew a lot about the dirty secrets of his former job’s factory. His ex-boss had shown him these things. It would have been necessary to pull off the caper that he and Waternoose had planned originally. But, Randall was a reformed monster now. He would only do these things for the right reasons and not to harm human kids, just to travel between both worlds to see his friends.  
……………..

After his talk with Mikey about his former world, the more he thought about it, the more Randall did want to go back to just see how life there had gone on without him. And if possible, to claim back some of his own personal possessions. But he would wait until he was well again first. He couldn’t be wearing bandages there. He had to have all of his body functioning at its normal capacity.


	12. Chapter 12

A month later, for both Mikey and Randall, was a big milestone. Mikey’s arm cast was cut off and upgraded to an arm brace. Randall’s leg was now put in a leg brace that Don had designed for him. Randall had stayed mostly at his apartment in the basement while he recovered, but he was walking more on it now, and was able to go up and down stairs again. His leg didn’t hurt as much as it did three weeks ago. He was recovering well. 

Don also took more x-rays to see how all the other broken bones were doing, and they were still healing. His lung was still a concern. It was doing better, but still needed more time. All the stitches in his skin had come out two weeks ago. His lower left arm was still in the brace. His ribs were still kept bandaged. His tail was still in a cast to keep it straight. 

Mikey’s arm didn’t hurt quite as much anymore and he was starting to use it more, but just not in training just yet. He was using it for cooking again though. 

Leo, Don, and Raph had done the majority of patrols since the accident happened and were glad to not see any signs of Bishop since when they rescued Mikey. The most trouble they ran into was the Purple Dragons and sometimes, the Mob. 

Leonardo was certain that he could trust Karai to not let the Foot do anything that would harm his family. She had been honorable, but Raphael still had doubts about her. They could wait until something else happened then to be sure. Leo wasn’t going to let his family get into a feud that didn’t need to escalate. 

With the Shredder and his right hand man, Hun, dead, the Foot weren’t much trouble, but the Purple Dragons still caused trouble even now with Hun not around. They had a new leader. His name was Dragon Face, with a dragon painted on his face, hence his name. He was nothing but a trouble maker, making his gang of street thugs be likewise.   
……………..

April was glad to have Randall be able to help her around the shop again. Don’s alarm system worked good. As far along as he had come in his recovery, Randall still wasn’t ready to take on bad guys. It would be another month before he would be ready to resume training and patrols to just be sure his body was truly healed from the damages. 

Randall was just stocking lightweight merchandise around the shop for April. He was also capable of taking out the trash and cleaning up duties. With the brace that was on his leg, it wasn’t on his foot, so he was able to walk to the lair again too.   
………………

In the monster world, Fungus had managed to finally get the Scream Extractor as close to how Randall had it as before. Now Waternoose was wanting to try it out to make sure it worked. If it didn’t, then it would need some more work, but it needed a few field trials first. 

Waternoose ordered the Creeper’s gang to go get some human children to test the machine on. 

Swifty was a genius when it came to hacking computers and mechanics. He knew how to close down the cameras and tech in the building to get them in without being seen. He even knew how to unlock a door without leaving a mark too noticeable. 

With Swifty’s help, Creeper, Smasher, and Spyder got into the factory and took three kids to be their test subjects. Two girls and a boy. All in the ages of four to seven. They made sure the kids were gagged and tied so they didn’t talk or scream for their parents, or when they got back to the factory. They just took them from their rooms, bound them, and took them back to their world and the warehouse, where they were put into cages. 

Fungus could see the look of pure fear on these kids’ faces. He had grown fond of the kids he had made laugh. He liked to see happiness on their faces, not fear. He could easily relate to them right now. He just wasn’t kept in a barred cage. He just hadn’t been able to get away for so long because he was always watched or too hurt to do anything about it. 

The first of the three kids was tried out. She was put into the seat and restrained and the sucker was tried out on her. She screamed out of pure fear. The vacuum on the sucker was too strong however and it sucked all the energy out of her young body. It made her lungs collapse on themselves. It killed her. 

Waternoose was disappointed. The same thing happened to the boy as well. 

“Fix this problem, Fungus, or else!” Waternoose warned him of a possible punishment coming for him if he didn’t get it working the way it was supposed to. 

“I got it to the way it was before, Boss.” Fungus said. 

“Then get it better! We need those screams, not their deaths!” Waternoose snapped angrily. 

Fungus wasn’t sure what it was entirely that Randall had done to make it that way then if he couldn’t get it right. “I don’t know what Randall did to do what it did then.” 

“You better be figuring it out then, pipsqueak!” Smasher warned. Then he whacked him on the head, leaving a new bruise. 

Fungus just wanted this misery to end.   
…………..

The big day was finally here! The day that Mikey and Randall’s injuries were finally declared healed! 

Mikey and Randall couldn’t have been more happy. They were glad to be out of all braces, casts, and bandages. It had been eight long weeks to just make sure the worst of these injuries were fully healed before they were allowed back into training or patrols. 

They were both a little hesitant to go on their first patrol again at first, particularly Randall. But they both came with Leo, Raph, and Don. 

Together, the group was a formidable force. There wasn’t much that they couldn’t do together, as a team. 

The first night didn’t have too much going on. Mikey was glad to be able to be out and about again, and not be confined to the lair or the sewer. He loved the fresh air above. Randall was glad he was stretching his body again. He was testing his jumping skills and such on the rooftops. 

The three older turtles had started out slower at first to just make sure that their just healed comrades could keep up, especially Randall since he had had a pierced lung. But the lizard showed no signs of breathing problems. He kept up with them just fine, and he wasn’t letting up. Mikey wasn’t either. 

As they were passing on the rooftops, jumping onto a fire escape, Randall did happen to see what looked like a monster in a child’s bedroom for the first time in a long time. He had to stop to see. But what he saw was something he never thought he’d see: the child was laughing at the monster, not screaming at him. 

Randall questioned in his mind. He would have to come back to this location. It was about nine blocks away from April’s place. He caught back up with his turtle friends. 

Later, when patrol was over, Randall told Mikey that he had seen another monster in a kid’s room, but had done nothing about it. He was going to go back to his old world this way. He was ready to go back. 

“Tell your brothers where I am if I take awhile to come back and not to worry about me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Randall said. “I have to go back and face this. It’s eating away at me.” 

“I understand. Yes, I’ll tell them.” Mikey said. 

Randall did tell April that he was going to be away for a little while. He just needed a break. 

April understood the need to get away. 

“I’m going back to my world, April. I need to go back to just see what’s been going on there since I left. I have to face my inner turmoil that I’ve been feeling lately. For a long time now, I felt restless. It’s like my world is calling back to me.” Randall explained. 

“I understand, Randall. If you need the time to fix something there, do it. But you are always welcome in my home.” She smiled at him. 

“Thanks.” 

A couple of nights later, Randall went with Mikey to that location he had found. Mikey used a small knife to open the window from the fire escape, and he let Randall inside quietly. The child in it was asleep for the moment. 

Mikey stayed outside and he closed the window afterward once Randall was inside. Randall hid, and Mikey stuck to the shadows. This was their little secret. They had told Mike’s bros that they were doing another patrol on their own to prove they could still go out on their own now that their wounds were healed. 

They had had to go by eight to make sure the child would be in bed. Most monsters seemed to strike shortly after nine or ten. Randall had to be here on time if he was going to get back into his world. He didn’t care who did the job, he just wanted back in. He waited close to the wall, invisible, and making sure to stay clear of toys on the floor. 

Mikey wanted to see how he got back in for sure. 

Randall waited for about an hour, and just like clockwork, after 9:30, the closet door peeked open and it open wider. Then, inside stepped a monster, one with tentacles for arms, some bumps on his back. He was a chubby, blue grey color, with a soccer ball and jacks. 

The monster woke the child up and he made the kid laugh by stepping on his ball and the ball bounced around the room, hitting him in the face, and he fell on the jacks that he had put on the floor. The monster screamed, but not too high. It made the child really laugh hard. 

Mikey couldn’t help but laugh at that too, from the outside. He had never seen one of these other monsters before, at least not from Randall’s world. 

Randall moved quickly and followed the monster back once he opened his closet door and went inside. For Mikey, he knew that once the door was closed, Randall should be gone now, for the time being. Now it was a waiting game to see if he came back to him, and to his family. He went back home, sad. He hoped he didn’t lose his best friend.


	13. Chapter 13

Randall Boggs had made it back to the factory where he formerly had a job as a scarer. He got behind the door stations and with his now perfect vision from his corrected surgery done months ago, he could see all sorts of monsters running around and being goofy. 

There were balloons everywhere and messes in places. Everyone was laughing and seeming to have a good time. To Randall, most of the monsters had always seemed to have good days and didn’t seem to have problems at all. But this looked more like a circus. He crossed his arms. 

Randall had a sense of humor, but not exactly for the circus, though he thought Michelangelo would be perfect for this scene before him. He smiled at that thought. Then, he noticed the canisters. The size of them had changed dramatically. They were huge compared to the old scream cans. 

When another monster came back into the room from being in a door, he heard laughing from inside, and the can filled up with energy. That was odd indeed. Laughing for energy? It couldn’t be. 

Randall looked at what floor he was on. He was actually on his old floor! Floor F. Then he looked up at the scoreboard and saw it was the eastern seaboard, like usual, but the display said: Joke of the Day. 

Things had really changed since he had been gone. Sullivan had been right. He would have been out of a job if he had stayed. 

Then, there was another laughing sound as a little green monster came out of a door with a stool and microphone. Randall’s eyes widened when he saw who it was: Wazowski! He had never thought he would see him again so soon. 

Randall growled lowly at the thought of him. He was still mad at him. He didn’t see Sullivan anywhere. He didn’t see Fungus either. But then, could Fungus be in jail for being a part of what happened before? Randall had forgotten about his revenge he had wanted to dish out on Wazowski for a while. At this point, there was no point to it, not with the other monsters around anyway. 

The lizard had to get out of here. He had come for other reasons. He left the floor, staying invisible. He went to the men’s locker room and making sure no one was around, he found his old locker. Surprisingly, he still remembered the combo and unlocked it after making sure no other monster was around. 

Once his locker was open, he saw that the stuff in it was not his. Obviously, it had been cleaned out and given to a new monster. He closed it and locked it again. 

Randall left the locker room and climbed up to the ceiling to make sure he wouldn’t run into anybody. He continued his way further into the factory until he reached the entrance. Looking around, he got to the floor and quickly made his way out the door.

Celia had looked over at the door for a moment, and saw it open and shut quickly without seeing anyone there. But, she didn’t pay much attention. If only she had known who was back. 

Once he was far enough away from the factory, Randall unblended himself. He had to catch his breath from staying that way for so long. He took a deep breath and looked around. From what he saw, it wasn’t like this world needed him anyway. But he still wanted to see if he could claim anything back from his old apartment. Of course, he didn’t have a key to get inside. 

Randall began walking along the sidewalk, heading toward a bus station. Most of the streets looked like they did before. He knew this part of town. Some monsters didn’t pay him much attention as he passed them by. There were some that gave glares as they weren’t much of reptilian tolerators. Randall ignored them all. 

He made his way to the bus station that he was familiar with, and sat down on the bench to wait for a bus that would take him to where he wanted to go. While he sat there, he looked over at some billboards. There were some posters displaying wanted criminals. Randall couldn’t believe who he saw on there. 

Randall went for a closer look. His name and picture was on there. Was he really that mean looking? And, there was Mr. Waternoose’s name. So, his ex-boss was a criminal now? That was something, considering that he had once been a well respected CEO of the monster world. 

Randall realized that if someone saw him like this, he might be in trouble. He decided to change the color of his skin to make sure that he wasn’t recognized. He turned to a red color. 

Not long afterwards, a bus came and Randall got on. The driver either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Randall remembered him well. He just went and got a seat on the bus without trying to draw attention to himself. 

When no one was looking, he changed back to purple to rest until someone new got on the bus. Soon, the bus stopped and he recognized the rotten part of Monstropolis where he once lived.

He was glad to get off the bus. But he was also glad to have ridden one of his old buses in his world for a change. 

He walked along until he found his old apartment building. He wanted so much to go home. But after not being here for so long, more than likely he was evicted anyway. Instead of asking for the supervisor, he vanished and went up the side of the building to where his apartment was and managed to open a window. He had always kept a window a crack open in case he needed to escape. 

Randall snuck inside and saw that the stuff in here was not his. It belonged to someone else. Who knows what had been done with his stuff. Thrown out, most likely. He had nothing here. The supervisor might know who took his stuff. Maybe he had to reveal himself, or just go about his business. 

He was lucky that no one was home at the moment. He crept back out the window. To stay here was to risk being caught. He knew who he could stay with: Fungus. 

Randall went to Fungus’s home in another apartment building. He made sure to stay vanished as he knocked on the door. No one answered. But then, it was a time of day when Fungus would be working. Silly him. But he did know there was a spare key. He used it and got in. 

Once inside Fungus’s apartment, the place seemed empty. All of his former assistant’s stuff was still here, for the moment anyway. But everything looked really dusty. When Randall went to the fridge for something to drink, he was instantly greeted with bad smells from expired food and drinks. 

“Yuck! When was the last time you cleaned your fridge, Fungus?” Randall said to himself. But then, he didn’t know the situation yet. 

Randall closed the fridge and got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap. He was so thirsty. He didn’t know when he would have a chance to get another. Then, he went to the freezer and got a frozen dinner out that hadn’t expired and warmed it up in the microwave. He was doing this so he could keep his stomach quiet. Plus, he wanted to taste some real monster food again. 

When the microwave went off, Randall was ready for that food. It felt so refreshing to have some real monster food again. He then hopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. He was just making himself at home while he could. He knew his former assistant would be more than shocked to see him back, but he had to talk with someone about what had happened to him. 

Randall knew that he hadn’t always been the nicest to Fungus, and right now, he felt bad for the way things were before. Fungus had really been the closest thing to a friend that he had had while working for Monsters, Inc. 

He finished his lunch and just settled down for some rest. He would wait for Fungus to get off work and come home so they could get things resolved. But little did he know, Fungus wasn’t coming home that night.

Randall waited until well after nine o’clock, and his former assistant still wasn’t home. He was getting flustered with waiting for so long. He spread his whole body out on the couch and did some stretches to keep his muscles loose. 

After watching the late news, Randall was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch. Nobody ever came in. 

In the morning, Randall saw he was in Fungus’ apartment with the TV blaring away. He had slept through the night on the couch. He went and checked the bedroom to see if Fungus was here. There was nothing. 

Randall went to the bathroom, and took a bath, using Fungus’ soap, as he was trying to make himself smell more like his old world. His scent had been different when he was in the human world. April would not allow him to be really smelly while living in her house. But for the moment, it was acceptable. 

After refreshing himself, he had another frozen dinner for breakfast. This was odd that Fungus had never come home last night. 

He waited for another day and found Fungus wasn’t coming home. Randall wondered if Fungus was taking a vacation, but it seemed unlikely that he could afford one. 

Randall finally got fed up with waiting and he made sure things were as close as possible to how they were before he came inside. He hid the key on his way out the door. 

It was evening now and he headed back to the factory, aiming to try to go back to the human world. Once he got there, he could hear distant voices, and he saw some monsters that were appearing to break into the factory after working hours were over. 

Randall vanished for good measure. He looked over the top of a car. “Who are those bozos?” he asked himself. 

The three monsters snuck into the factory. After spending so much time with the turtles, Randall knew this was very suspicious. He snuck up behind them. 

They were looking for some kids to kidnap, as the machine kept on failing. Fungus was doing his best to fix it, but nothing was working. 

Randall followed them to see what kind of trouble they were causing. Anyone who broke in after hours, even here in the monster world, had to be up to something bad.

They grabbed some kids and took off. Randall fought the urge to stop them, preferring instead to let them lead him to their hideout. He climbed onto their car. When they got in, they had no idea that he was even there. He rode it to the hideout, the suckers on his feet and hands doing their job. 

He let them go in first before he followed behind them. This was a bad part of town. It was often where gangs and criminals hung out. 

Once Randall got inside, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The old Scream Extractor was on the ceiling and there was poor Fungus, looking exhausted and about ready to collapse. Why was he here instead of at the factory? 

Most of the gang was out doing something else right now, but as usual, there was someone with Fungus to make sure he kept on working. Randall knew how to settle this.

Smiling, he snuck up behind the monster guarding him. He finally had the courage to use his tail as a weapon again. He tripped the monster, Smasher, up. 

Smasher fell unconscious. Fungus was surprised the larger monster had gone down so suddenly like that. Now would be a good chance to get away from here, to finally go home. 

“Fungus!” someone called. The voice sounded familiar. 

“Who’s there?” Fungus asked cautiously. 

Randall appeared to him. “Me.”

“Ah!” Fungus fell back in surprise. “Randall!”

“It’s alright, Fungus. What are you doing working on this again? It’s a horrible thing to be doing.” Randall said. 

“Mr. Waternoose… he- uh, is making me build it again so he can finish what we started - kidnapping kids for the energy of their screams. But you see, Randall, we have all moved on from being scarers. We use laugh energy now. It’s much more powerful than screaming from fear.” Fungus explained. 

“I think I saw that on the floor I arrived on.” Randall said. 

Fungus had only just seen Randall, and already, he could sense a change in him. He didn’t seem like the same vengeful lizard that he had known. And he had said that working on the Extractor was a bad idea. 

“What are we going to do, Randall? I can’t get away from here, and if I try, they beat me up or hit my head.” Fungus said. 

Randall could see many bruises on his assistant’s body. He knew he had been this way not too long ago. 

“We have to come up with a way to get rid of the machine.” Randall said. 

“And there’s many kids to get home.” Fungus said. 

“Huh?” 

“I said Waternoose is kidnapping kids again. Evidence showed he would kidnap many kids before he would let his company die, and that’s why he was sent to jail. The CDA was involved. But, he escaped after a year. You were their first choice to do this job, but they kidnapped me instead since you weren’t here.” Fungus explained. 

“Where were they looking? The swamps? They’d never find me there. I moved on from there.” Randall said. 

Little did they know that Smasher was regaining consciousness. Randall had his back to him. Smasher shook his head and looked over at this captive. Beside him, was the one they had been looking for! Smasher got up and went to go grab Randall. 

“To where?” Fungus asked his former boss. 

“Up the eastern coastline to live with some good friends I found there.” Randall replied.   
Then Randall noticed his friend’s shadow seemed to have shifted. 

“Uh, Randall?” Fungus stammered. 

Randall felt someone behind him, as he was letting some of his ninja training take over. He swung around to look when he felt a blow to the back of his head. It knocked him into a wall, then down to the floor. 

“Just who we’ve been looking for! You have come just in time to see your machine get fixed up. BY YOU! And you better make it work, or you can kiss your life and your friend’s here, goodbye!” Smasher threatened. 

Randall shook his head as he saw the taller monster towering over him. Fungus was powerless to stop him. 

“Whoever you are, working on that thing is a mistake. You shouldn’t take directions from Waternoose. He’s just using you!” Randall cried. 

“He’s promised me and my gang fame, money, and action. And, we are looking forward to it.” 

“You’ll never gain it,” Randall argued. “Waternoose is a liar! He promised me that too. And knowing him, he would have banished me or killed me anyway so he could take all the glory for himself.” 

Smasher knew he had to get a hold of the lizard before he had a chance to get away. He had been told that Randall was more than crafty. But the blow to the head had probably knocked a bit off kilter. 

Randall saw the taller monster coming toward him. He scrambled to his feet, but he couldn’t get away fast enough. Smasher’s big pincher hand came around and grasped Randall’s top right arm. While Randall used his other hands to try and free himself, the other pincher closed on Randall’s throat. “Gotcha! You’re not getting away anytime soon, Boggs!” 

Randall glared at him, baring his teeth. Now that he was on his feet again, he saw this insect-like monster was about as tall as he was. He began pulling him into the back. It made the lizard swallow hard. 

Smasher grabbed some rope and using his three other pinchers, he managed to tie the ropes on Randall’s arms and upper body. He secured him, then pulled him back up to the front to make Fungus work some more. 

Fungus could only look over at Randall sadly. But the more he could see him, the more he noticed some more changes on the lizard that he had never seen before; a variety of vicious looking scars on his body. Randall must have been in some nasty fights out there in the human world. 

Smasher eventually allowed Fungus to take a short break so that he could eat and drink. That was when Waternoose and the rest of the gang came back in from wherever they had gone. Fungus was sitting by a wall near Randall. 

Waternoose saw his new guest, and the Nomads were shocked at who was here. Smasher instantly was on it. 

“Look who found us, Mr. Waternoose!” Smasher indicated with his hand proudly. 

Randall was shocked to see his old boss. 

“Well, well, well, Randall Boggs. My friends here tell me that they couldn’t find you and yet, here you are.” Waternoose said. “Mind telling me where you’ve been all this time?” 

“That’s none of your business!” Randall snapped angrily. 

“You were banished, weren’t you? Sullivan and Wazowski did to you what we did to them.” The crab monster mocked him, but he did have a point. “They saved me the trouble of doing it myself. But, now that you’re back, you are going to make sure this machine works just right and it collects children’s screams. I am not going to allow my company to be run by using laughter. It’s absurd. Screams are the monster’s way, and only way!” Waternoose proclaimed. 

“I’ll never work on that stupid machine. It literally ruined my life for two years!” Randall declared. 

“Oh, really?” the Creeper said. 

“Your little friend here has been working to finish your creation for a few months now, and he can’t get it right. He’s expendable to us now that you’re here! Work on the machine, or he is going to be killed and tossed in the river outside of town!” the Creeper threatened. 

Fungus looked at the Creeper in fear, and at Randall. Randall had not cared about Fungus for the longest time. But, now seemed to be the best time to come clean. Fungus was all he had now. 

“No! Don’t hurt him! I’ll do it!” Randall begged fearfully. 

Waternoose had never known Randall to say something like that. The old Randall would have loved to finally finish his machine. But then, it had been a long time since they had known each other. 

“I’ve never known you to go soft, Boggs. You loved doing this job for me before.”

“That was before some real friends showed me what an idiot I was to ever work for you!” Randall said angrily. 

“Untie him so he can get to work on the machine.” Waternoose ordered. 

“Yes, Sir.” Knuckles said and he cut the ropes on Randall’s arms. 

Randall rubbed his arms to get the circulation back into them. “Fungus, show me what you’ve done so far.” 

“He can show you, but you are the one taking over on the machine to make sure it’s finished. We can’t have it killing the kids. We need those screams intact.” the Creeper said. “And if you even think about getting away, the little pipsqueak pays the price. Remember that, Boggs!” 

Randall knew who could help with this, but he would have to get out of here first to get them. He knew he couldn’t stop them alone.

Fungus got up and he showed Randall the machine. Randall could see where it needed improvements. When Randall looked at the wiring, he could see that it was off. Some of the wiring was overloaded and had to be taken out and replaced.

Fungus was now strapped to a chair and tied up to make sure that Randall stayed motivated. Waternoose and the whole gang was there now to make sure he wouldn’t get away. A knife was pointed at Fungus. 

While working, Randall thought of what the turtles would do, and what they had taught him to try to take down opponents. His friends had been threatened to draw him in before too. He knew he could use his invisibility to get away, but he had to get Fungus out in the process. He never would have cared before meeting the turtles and their friends. They had taught him how to care about others.

He had to come up with something to do that would prevent them from harming Fungus, and he had to do it fast. He had seen how Donatello had wired things before, even explosives. But then, he couldn’t harm the kids that were in the back in the cages. He needed the turtles. 

“Uh, excuse me, guys, but what I see is there is some faulty wiring that is likely to cause a fire. I need some more wiring.” Randall said. 

“What kind of wiring, lizard?” Swifty asked. 

Randall told them that he needed a specific type of wire that was a little hard to find. This was just a diversion. There was a hardware store uptown. This gang had money from their previous burglaries. Waternoose had money too. 

Fungus wondered what Randall was up to. 

Randall wrote out a list. This was just to buy some more time. Three of the gang: Knuckles, Tank, and Swifty left to go to the store to get the items that Randall had requested.

Spyder, Tank, and Creeper were still here with Waternoose. 

“Is there anything else that needs getting?” Tank asked. 

Waternoose didn’t trust Randall. He knew he had to be up to something. “Fungus already had everything to work with. How do I know that you need this new wiring?” he demanded. 

“Why do you think it keeps failing?” Randall said, crossing his arms. 

“Fine, but this better not be one of your little tricks.” Waternoose warned. 

Randall was lucky he was loose. 

“Until the others get back, work on what you can.” Creeper ordered. 

“Not much else needs to be done.” Randall lied. “Most of the work is done.” 

“There has to be something else that needs to be done.” Spyder said. 

“Work on the strength of the vacuum.” Waternoose said. “Make sure it’s in the proper working order.” 

Randall growled. He had had it with this evil machine. He had hoped to never see it again. “I will not!” An idea suddenly came to him. 

“Oh, yes you will! Like we said.” Smasher warned. 

“You’re going to have to catch me first!” Randall had wanted to separate the gang up before he would take them down. 

He made himself vanish fast, and he sprang up the wall to get away from them. 

“Kill the little one!” Creeper yelled. 

Smasher grabbed the knife and started making his way over to Fungus with it. Fungus began squirming. 

“Get down here, Randall!” Waternoose ordered. 

“I never wanted to see that machine again!” Randall shouted out. 

Waternoose and the others heard him yell, and could hear him moving about with such speed on the high walls. But then, there was nothing. 

“No! No, please, no!” Fungus cried out as the knife was being edged closer to him. 

Randall was watching from right above him. Just as Smasher was getting all too close, he dropped down on top of him, making him go down and knocking the wind out of him. He stayed invisible and grabbed the knife from his hand, running over to Fungus and quickly cutting the ropes. Then he dropped the knife. 

Fungus fumbled in the ropes, trying to get out of them. 

Waternoose and the other two were making their way over to them. 

“Get on my back, Fungus! Hold on to my lower arms!” Randall ordered. 

Fungus didn’t question him. He got on. Then Randall said, “Lock your legs into my front legs.” Fungus did as he was told, and Randall then climbed the wall again. 

Fungus had never known Randall to be this courageous, but it was a good idea. Randall had saved him from his captors, but what was he planning? 

“Hang on!” Randall ordered. He saw some windows on the high ceiling and he ran for them. 

The monsters down below saw what Randall was aiming for. “Get outside!” The Creeper ordered. 

Waternoose had picked up the knife and he knew what he was going to do. 

Randall broke through a window with Fungus still on his back. He could feel the smaller one’s hands squeezing his lower arms in a death grip. Fungus was so scared, he had his eyes closed. Randall continued climbing to the side of the building. 

Fungus felt like he was slipping. “Whoa!” He cried out and opened his eyes. 

Randall felt it too and he grabbed him with one hand. “Hold on!” 

Fungus readjusted himself. Randall then began to make his way down the building. He knew he would need help in dealing with these thugs. He began to run the moment he hit the ground. Fungus stayed on him. 

Randall got them a good distance from the old factory, then stopped so that Fungus could climb off. He had a feeling the human kids wouldn’t be harmed at the moment. With him and Fungus not working on the machine, it would buy the kids some time. 

“What are we going to do, Randall?” Fungus asked. 

“I know some friends who could help. But I have to get back to the human world to get them. I can’t take them down myself.” Randall said. 

“Friends from the human world? Do you know how dangerous that is?” Fungus questioned. 

“These friends aren’t human, Fungus. They helped me multiple times while I was over there. They helped me find myself - the real me - again.” Randall said. “We also have to get those kids out of there and back to their homes.” 

“What about Wazowski and Sullivan?” 

“We might have to get them involved too. But they would never believe that I’ve changed. They would take me down on sight. Well, Sullivan would. He already did once before.” Randall said. “Fungus, you have to go get them, and I’ll get my friends.”


	14. Chapter 14

It was mid-morning, and monsters were likely to be at work. Fungus wanted to go home, but he knew that was out of the question for the moment. But, this was a good chance to get Wazowski and Sullivan. 

Randall and Fungus couldn’t stay where they were for long. They knew that the gang and Waternoose would be after them. They had to hurry. 

Together, they ran through the streets. Fungus noticed that Randall had no problem seeing where he was going. His eyes were also open wider than he had ever seen them. 

“Fungus, I could go through any door to get to my friends, as long as it is in New York City. My friends will know what to do. Even if not, they’ll still help anyway.” Randall said, breathing hard. 

After running more than three blocks, they both pulled up to catch their breaths. Fungus held his chest. “I’m not used to this kind of running, Randall.” 

“I am. Catch your breath and we’ll keep going.” Randall said. 

“Who… are these friends?” Fungus asked breathlessly.

“Mutant creatures. They know how to deal with all sorts of bad guys. They’re ninjas, so they’re experts at both fighting and staying hidden. I learned a lot from them.” 

“I have never known you to stand up for me before. That was brave of you, Sir.” Fungus praised. “They must have taught you something.” 

“Like how to care about others.” Randall said. “We have to save the human kids too. We already know they aren’t toxic.” 

“Yes, I know, but the rest of the monster world doesn’t know that.” Fungus said. 

As they neared the factory, Randall vanished for good measure. “Sullivan is the new CEO now since Waternoose was arrested,” Fungus explained. 

“Then we have to talk to Sullivan.” Randall said.

They went into the factory and walked calmly through the building. It was close to noon, and there were monsters walking everywhere. The pair headed straight for the CEO’s office. 

Other monsters were shocked to see Fungus here after not being seen for a long time. “Fungus! Where have you been?” Many monsters asked. 

Randall and Fungus picked up the pace. “No time! Where’s the CEO! Where’s Sullivan?!” Fungus gasped. 

“Slow down. What’s wrong!” one of the monsters yelled. 

“We need his help! Now!” Fungus screamed urgently. 

“Alright! He should be in his office right now.” the other monster yelled. 

They hurried up to the CEO’s office. They soon got there and other monsters had followed him. 

Randall knocked on the door. He was slightly ahead of Fungus. “Come in.” was heard on the other side. 

Randall opened the door and he and Fungus slipped inside, closing the door behind them. 

Sulley stood up in surprise when he saw who it was. “Jeffrey Fungus? We haven’t seen you for ages. What brings you here?” 

Fungus was breathing hard. “Water-- noose!” He gasped out, then fell over. 

“Fungus!” Sulley ran over to help him up. 

“Waternoose and his gang of misfits want to use the Scream Extractor!” Randall finished for him. 

Sulley stopped when he heard that voice. It couldn’t be! 

Randall appeared as he helped Fungus to his feet. He looked over at the big blue monster warily. 

“Randall!” Sulley jumped back in alarm. “Why are you here?!” 

“To help Fungus. He was being held captive when I found him. I know Waternoose went to jail, but then he escaped. He wanted me to get the scream machine back in order. That’s why he kidnapped Fungus and held him captive for however long he’s been missing. I just got him away from them. They threatened to kill him if I didn’t do as they said. And they have a bunch of human kids who are in trouble.” Randall said as fast as he could. He was a little breathless himself. He was talking so fast that Sulley could barely hear him. 

“I have to get my friends in order to stop them!” Randall finished. 

“You aren’t going anywhere, Randall!” Sulley said sternly. 

“We don’t have time for this, Sullivan! I have to get back to the human world. Please allow me to get help.” Randall pleaded with him. 

Fungus caught his breath. “Waternoose and the Nomads Gang. They want to use the Scream Extractor to steal children’s screams again. Randall says he has some friends who could help take them down.” 

“That’s the CDA’s job. Now that Randall has come back, he is going to jail.” Sulley said angrily. 

“I swear I wasn’t going to harm those kids, or your little human girl.” Randall held his hands up in surrender. He backed towards the wall. 

Sulley stepped forward, then Fungus stepped in front of him. “Please, Mr. Sullivan. Help us.” 

Sulley stopped advancing on the lizard. “What do you mean about my little human girl, Randall?” 

“I saw a child that looks like her in the warehouse where this gang was. The Nomads have a lot of captive human kids. I didn’t know if it was her or not.” Randall said. “I promise, I want to get some help to take them down. Sullivan, I’m not the same monster I was the last time you saw me. Yes, maybe you had every right to throw me through that door. It led me to finding my true path. One that led me to finding some special friends that changed my life for the better.” He explained. 

Sulley could see a change in Randall’s demeanor as he talked. And he wasn’t squinting like he used to. His words seemed sincere. 

“I know Waternoose is loose and he has to be stopped.” Sulley said. 

“I know how, but I need my friends for help. They know all about taking bad guys down.” Randall said. 

“If they are from the human world, it would be too risky to bring them here.” Sulley said. “We have to get the CDA. They are now known as the Crime Detection Agency, instead of Child Detection Agency.” 

“I saw my Wanted sign, and what I was wanted for. I can’t let them see me, Sullivan. Not yet anyway. I swear, after all the punishments I suffered in the human world, I learned my lesson. You see these scars on me?” Randall pointed to some of the ones he had gotten in the other world. He even showed the ones on his back, where the Shredder had sliced him. 

Sulley saw the nasty scars on Randall’s back and elsewhere too. 

“I got all these scars from fighting alongside my new friends, who helped me to become a way better monster than I used to be. I know more about justice, honor, and compassion now.” Randall explained. 

Sulley was hearing things in Randall’s voice that he had never heard before. 

“I also just recently recovered from injuries that I thought I would die from, a pierced lung being one of them.” Randall pointed out the scar on his right side. “I had far more injuries than my friend, Mike.” 

“Mike? You have a friend named Mike?” Sulley asked. 

“Michelangelo is the long name. And, there's Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and their sensei, Master Splinter.” Randall said. “Their human friends, April and Casey. They became my family out there. They taught me the things I know now. But anyway, I came back here to just see how life had gone on without me here. I wasn’t intending to get this deep into it. I’m sure they’re wondering when I’m coming back. I need to get back to New York. Any door there could get me there. Please, Sullivan.” 

Sulley knew that Randall couldn’t be making all this up. “Alright, Randall. I’ll help you, but you still have to face up to what you did.” 

Randall nodded. “I will, after this is over and Waternoose is no longer a threat. I have a feeling he’ll come after you, Wazowski, and the company.” 

“We have been keeping on the alert for him.” Sulley said, and then he knew they would have to go to Roz’s office to get the papers. 

Randall vanished as they left Sulley’s office and went down to see Roz. Some other monsters had followed because they had been concerned, but they went back to their own business when it seemed things had calmed down. 

“So, what’s going on, Mr. Sullivan?” A female monster asked. 

“Going to Roz’s office for some paperwork.” Sulley answered. “This is our business only.” 

The female monster went about her business right after she was sure things were fine. 

Soon, they were all down by the office. Sulley went over to talk to Roz. “Hello, Roz, I need some files for doors that go to New York City.” 

“For what reasons, Mr. Sullivan?” Roz asked in her customary grumpy grandmother voice.

Sulley had to think quick. “To see what doors have gone bad lately, and might need improvement.” 

Roz was still skeptical. “Very well. I’ll get you some of those door papers. Wait here.” 

Sulley sighed. “Very sneaky.” Randall said in a low voice to the right.

Sulley didn’t say a word to him. 

Roz retrieved four files for him. Their check-out cards were in the files too. Sulley stamped the cards while Roz got the files ready. Sulley gladly took them when she offered them to him. They went back to the office and took a look at them. 

Randall looked at the information. He saw that one door seemed close to April’s place. “I’ll take that one. It’ll do fine to get me there and back.” he said. 

“Alright, but we have to do this sneaky-like. Fungus will stay and monitor the door station.” Sulley said. He took the file with him to where they were going to sneak the door down. 

They went to a hidden area in the factory that had been closed down for a long time, but still worked. Sulley slid the card key and it sent for the door, a blue one. 

The door came through and now that they were alone, Randall reappeared. He was anxious to get back. 

“It might take awhile for me to get back. Why not have Fungus talk to the authorities and get back to that hideout? I’m sure my friends will want to come here anyway. I know Donatello does.” 

“Wait. You told them about us?” Sulley demanded. 

“A little. They won’t betray your world to anyone. They have to hide themselves as it is. They know what we have to go through, because they are often thought of as monsters themselves, but they aren’t.” Randall replied. 

“How do you know we can trust them?” 

“They are mutant turtles, Sullivan. Not humans. They are hated by lots of humans anyway, like we are. But I know they can help take Waternoose down.” 

“I will do what I can, Randall.” Fungus said. “I’ll keep the door active.” 

Randall nodded. “I have to go now. I’ll be back with the help we need.” He promised. He took a deep breath and opened the door, going through and closing it behind him. 

There was a sleeping little boy in the room, but Randall paid him no mind. He went over to the child’s window and pried it open. He shut it again after he went through. It was unlocked and that was a good thing. It was a way back to the monster world. He went to April’s shop, which was only a few blocks away.   
………………

Sulley and Fungus were surprised that they were in this position. After all Randall had done in the past, and even being exiled, he was willing to help them take the enemy down. He definitely wasn’t the same lizard they had known before. 

They went back to Roz and told her that there was a good reason that the CDA needed to be on alert now more than ever - that Waternoose was a real threat and Fungus knew where to find him. Roz summoned the CDA immediately. 

The CDA listened to what Fungus and Sulley had to say. Sulley revealed that Randall was back again, and that he was getting them the help they needed to stop Waternoose. 

“You could be charged with treason for helping the fugitive, Mr. Sullivan.” A CDA agent warned. 

“Randall doesn’t sound like an enemy anymore. He said he’s trying to help us.” Sulley said. “Believe me, I was ready to turn him over, and he said he’s willing to face his crimes when this is over.” 

“Good.” The CDA agent said. 

Fungus led the CDA to the warehouse where it had all happened. “This was where the Nomads Gang and Mr. Waternoose were staying.” he said. 

The CDA went to investigate the warehouse. When they went inside, they found nothing in it. They must have moved out. 

“We found nothing in there, Mr. Fungus. Are you sure this is the place?” An agent asked. 

“Yes. I’m sure. I was held here for weeks.” Fungus said. “They threatened to kill me! Randall saved me from them.” 

None of the agents had known Randall to be a courageous monster. Now, Sullivan was a monster. He knew to do that stuff, to risk his life for another. The CDA suspected that Randall was playing them for fools, so that he could get back to the human world and not face his crimes. 

There were wires and some leftover cages strewn around, but all the children were gone. The machine had to been moved with absolute precision and careful management. The gang must have known that Randall and Fungus would go back to the factory for help. 

But the big question is, where had Waternoose and his gang gone to? 

The CDA had to let this go for now. There was no way they were going to find them like this. 

Fungus and Sulley went back to the factory to do their jobs for the day. Well, Sulley went back to do his job as CEO and Fungus went home for a brief time to get himself cleaned up and fed. Then he would head back to the door station.   
…………….

Randall made it back to April’s shop, and he was glad to be back. He was lucky he hadn’t been arrested this time around. He went into the shop and revealed himself to her upstairs. 

“Randall! You’re back! Mikey’s been worried about you.” April came over and hugged him. “Of course, they all are.” 

“I figured. I came back, but I can’t stay for long, April. I need the turtles’ help. There’s something going on in the monster world, and I need them, now!” Randall said urgently. 

“Alright. Let me call them.” 

“It’s better if they come here. There’s a door waiting for us,” Randall explained. 

April called the turtles. At the lair, the guys were getting ready to go on patrol when Leo’s phone rang. He was just polishing a katana when he picked up. “Hello?” 

“Leo, it’s April. Randall’s back. He’s here and he needs you and your brothers to come instantly. Something’s wrong.” April said. 

“What?” Leo asked. 

“I don’t know. You’ll have to get here first.” She said. 

“We’re on our way, April. Thanks.” Leo said and hung up. 

Leo summoned his brothers. “Guys! April said that there’s trouble going on with Randall. He’s back and he needs us.” 

Mikey was thrilled to finally get an update. 

“Then what are we waitin’ for?” Raph demanded. 

“Let’s go.” Don said. He made sure to pack his duffel bag with supplies, even explosives should they be needed. 

The four turtle brothers ran through the sewers to get there fast. They were antsy for an adventure, but more so to help their friend. 

They soon arrived at April’s house, and there was a little reunion, but not a long one. Randall got down to business right away. 

“Guys, I wish this reunion was under better circumstances, but I need your help right now. I found out my ex-boss was sent to jail, and I know he’s going to try something evil. He has escaped from jail, and he has to be stopped. He and a gang of other monsters stole my old machine that I made and wanted me and my former assistant, Fungus to finish it so that they could steal kids’ screams again. Now they might be coming after the factory. Please, I have a door standing by for us to go back through, and you guys would have to stay in the shadows and all, like you do here. Just until things are cleared up.” Randall explained in a hurry. 

“I’d be glad to help, and to see your world.” Don said. 

“We’ll be glad to help in any way we can, Randall.” Leo agreed. 

“I’ve been dyin’ for an adventure.” Raph smiled. 

“What are friends for?” Mikey added. 

“Thanks. Let’s go.” Randall said. He was glad he could count on them. 

“Be careful.” April warned. 

“We will, April. We’ll be back as soon as possible.” Leo promised. The four turtles and the lizard then left and went the few blocks to the house that Randall had remembered. They snuck in through the window, and as promised, they got into the monster world through the closet. 

The turtles were amazed at the size of this large room. 

Fungus was standing in the room, watching the door. He was more than shocked to see that Randall was telling the truth. He had some new friends here to help. They seemed to be reptilian too, but unlike any he had seen before. 

Randall saw the look on Fungus’s face. “It’s alright, Fungus. They’re the friends I told you about.” 

The turtles turned at his words and looked down. There was a smaller monster in the same room. Deep pink, three eyes, wore glasses, wore a hard hat, had two arms with four fingers, and three toed feet. 

“So you must be Fungus?” Leo asked gently. 

“Yes… yes… I am.” Fungus replied nervously. 

“Randall has told us about you and some of the things you guys do here in this world, but don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.” Leo said to Fungus. “It is nice to finally meet you.” 

“So… who… who are you?” Fungus was still nervous. 

“My brothers and I are called the Ninja Turtles. I’m Leonardo.” Leo introduced himself.

Don waved. “I’m Donatello.”

“Michelangelo.” Mikey said with a smile. 

Raph had more of a serious look. “Raphael.”

“So, Randall told us about the problem.” Leo said. “We’re here to help.” 

“What happened at the hideout with the gang and Waternoose, Fungus?” Randall asked. 

“I led them there, but the machine had been moved. It’s gone, and so are the kids. The CDA thought I might have been pulling something and they are now after you. They want you to face your crimes.” Fungus explained. 

The turtles looked at Randall. They knew he had caused trouble, and this was confirming it more. But he had already done his time of punishment with the turtles. 

“I said I would face it when this is over.” Randall said, looking at the turtles. 

“What would happen to him?” Mikey asked. 

“There would be a hearing, a trial, there would be witnesses talking about what happened and what they saw. Randall would get a chance to tell his side, and then it would be decided whether he gets banishment, or he could be sent to jail. Or, they could even let him go as innocent, depending on how he tells his story.” Fungus explained. 

“That’s how it’s done in our world too.” Don said. “Or at least it is for human criminals. Creatures like us would probably just be thought of as evil, and turned over to the government for study, if we weren't simply killed on sight.” 

It gave Fungus the chills to think about it. 

“Well, that’s enough of that talk. Is it time for action yet?” Raph demanded. 

“We don’t know yet, Raph.” Randall said. “We need a place to put these guys until the time is right. What do we do, Fungus?” 

“Mr. Sullivan might have an idea. You wait here. I’ll get him. The factory is about to close for the day anyway.” Fungus said. Then he scrambled out of the room. 

“Is this Sullivan is really as mean as you say?” Leo asked. 

“Many think of him as a hero. I was the one who wasn’t liked much. At the time, I had learned not to care about it, but when I was scaring, I wanted to be recognized for my work. That I was doing something right.” Randall explained. 

“That’s how we have felt before too, Randall.” Don said. 

Sulley was on Laugh Floor F right now, telling Mike the situation. Mike was doubtful of anything if Randall was involved. He would only be trying to scheme again, and involving Fungus would only lead to trouble. 

Just then, Fungus ran onto the floor, slipping into some cans. Other monsters saw him. Sulley went over to help him. 

“Are you alright, Fungus?” Sulley asked. 

Fungus was breathing hard from the running, but replied, “Yes. Sir, Randall is back. He needs you.” 

Some other monsters had heard him. A lot of them had never wanted to see that cranky lizard around the factory again. 

“Let’s go.” Sulley said. “There’s a situation with the CDA.” He ordered the other monsters to stay where they were. 

“I’m not missing this action.” Mike said. “Besides, I have a few words for Lizard Boy!” 

The three of them left the Laugh Floor and went to the secret room. 

“Randall did return with the friends he told us about.” Fungus said on the way. 

“What friends? Lizard Boy hasn’t got any friends.” Mike remarked sarcastically. 

Sulley was really annoyed by Mike’s attitude. “Randall said he was going to bring some additional help to help us catch Waternoose and the gang he’s now associated with.” Sulley said. “He didn’t say anything about them, other than that they weren’t human.” 

Mike would like to see this, to see something that the lizard wasn’t trying to lie about. He still remembered being captured by Randall and almost harmed. Sure, they had been friends and roommates back in college, but at their old job, they had managed to become enemies. Mike was always rubbing taunts in Randall’s face. Randall used to make fun of Mike and pick on him. He wanted to have some harsh words with him again now. 

They soon arrived at the room. Sulley and Mike were definitely not expecting to see what they saw. Four humanoid giant, green creatures standing with Randall. They all turned to look at them. They had shells on their backs, and all wore different colored masks. They also carried weapons. 

The turtles were a bit surprised to finally meet the rivals Randall had told them about. The one-eyed cyclops monster and the big, blue and purple furry one. 

It was hard to break the stalemate. Everyone was shocked at seeing the other, with the exception of Randall and Fungus. Randall decided to talk first. 

“Sullivan, Wazowski, these are my friends that I told you about. These are the Ninja Turtles. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.” Randall introduced his friends, giving hand gestures at each one as they were named off.

Sulley knew not to be rude to new guests. “Uh, nice to meet you, guys. I’m James P. Sullivan, but you can call me Sulley.” He waved. “This is my best friend, Mike Wazowski.” 

Mike was still shocked. 

To the turtles, these guys didn’t seem like bad guys. 

“We’re glad to be here, Mr. Sullivan. We would like to help in any way we can. We know what it’s like to have enemies threatening our world and our lives.” Leo said. 

Mike finally pulled out of his shock. “So, uh, how do you think you can help us?” 

Don spoke next. “We need to get a look at things first, so that we can see what we have to work with, and who we are fighting.” 

“Donny here is great with technology.” Mikey said. 

“The factory is about to close, but we can go over everything in my office.” Sulley said. “We need to wait for at least an extra half hour to make sure the other monsters are gone first.” 

Soon, they all heard a bell ring. “I need to go tell Celia that I’ll be late getting home.” Mike said, and he took off. 

“Celia?” Raph asked. 

“His wife.” Sulley said. 

“Figures Wazowski would tie the knot after I was gone.” Randall said sarcastically. 

“So, what has happened so far that makes this so dangerous?” Leo asked. “I mean Randall gave us a rundown on what happened, but we just need to be clear so we know what we have to do.” 

Sulley went on to explain the basis of what happened before, and then Fungus took over once it got to the part of Waternoose’s escape. Randall was hugging his arms to himself when the story was over. That was when Mike rejoined them. 

“Celia understands I’m going to be late.” Mike said. 

The others all looked back at him in understanding. Hopefully, she would be out of danger. 

“Are the others all gone, Mike?” Sulley asked. 

“Yes. They are gone. It’s safe to leave this area now.” Mike replied. 

“Good. This way, guys.” Sulley began leading the way out of the room and through the hallways. There were sections of night shift work going on, but it was in a different area of the factory, so they were confident that they wouldn’t be seen. 

After his story had been told, Randall was now unsure of how his friends would see him. But he had told them what happened too, at least from his point of view. He hoped they still understood. He brought up the rear. At least Wazowski hadn’t been there when it had been told. He knew that he would have lived to torture him even more in front of his friends. 

When they got to the office, Sulley led the turtles inside. Mike stepped in front of Randall. 

“Don’t think for a second about double crossing us, Lizard Boy! Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to us!” Mike glared at him angrily. “How can we be sure that you and your friends won’t betray us?!” 

“I know what I did before! And these guys helped me get my priorities straight. They can be trusted when humans can’t be, think of it like that. And they aren’t human. I’ve been through some tough times with them when I told them what I had done, and many more times after that with their own enemies, even an evil alien.” Then Randall showed him the scars on his back. “You see these marks? That alien did this to me.” He exclaimed. 

Mike could see the scars alright. They looked nasty. 

“You can trust the turtles more than you could any human, Wazowski. With the exception of a couple of human friends of theirs. This time, I’m going to do the right thing. I’m not going to let Waternoose destroy the factory, or the kids he wants to use. And he used to threaten me more than you would ever know. I have some revenge to dish out on him.” Randall growled. “I regret ever making that machine now. I’m going to destroy it!” 

The others were listening too. Mike and Randall had to get this settled now before there could be anymore proceedings. 

“First, we have to find them, Randall.” Leo said. “That may not be so easy.” 

“If only Splinter would have come too.” Randall said. 

“He was wanting to have some time alone anyway.” Don said. “He figures we can handle things. He trusts us.” 

“Who’s Splinter?” Fungus asked. 

“Our father and teacher.” Leo said. “He’s a mutant rat instead of a turtle.” 

“Oh.” Fungus said. 

Sulley began showing the turtles who Waternoose was and who the Nomad Gang was, according to Fungus and Randall’s descriptions of their story. Randall showed them what the Scream Extractor looked like. 

“Are you sure you could take on this tough gang?” Sulley asked. “They are much taller that you are.” 

“We’ve taken on giant monsters before, Sullivan.” Raph said. “I’m ready for some butt kickin’ action.” 

“We take on gang fights all the time at home.” Don said. “So, we have a feeling we know what we’re up against.”

Fungus later started talking to Don about math calculations and the others were surprised at how well they clicked. But then, Randall wasn’t too surprised. He had a feeling they would. So at least Don had made a new friend. 

Leo started talking battle strategies with Sulley, discussing how they could take Waternoose and the gang down and for Don and Randall to destroy the machine, even the hideout if necessary. 

As Sulley talked about what they could do, and what he did for this company now, Leo could see he wasn’t evil, and he was a good leader for this company. 

Michelangelo was curious about the little green dude. He went over and started talking to him. Randall noticed this. 

“So uh, what is it that you do here, Mike?” Mikey asked. 

“I’m a comedian. I’m the top Laugher here.” Mike said. “You really trust Randall?” 

“Randall has been my best friend, in fact. He’s recently recovered from some injuries that nearly killed him when he took a blast from a helicopter. He saved my life by doing that. We were grateful to him. He’s helped us a multitude of times when we’ve been in trouble. So we are now helping him.” Mikey explained. 

“Randall was once my best friend too, way back in our college days. He was a good study partner. We hung out and went to football games too. We studied scaring together. And then, he joined another fraternity. I later learned I wasn’t as scary as I thought I was, or wanted to be. Everyone was right about me. But, Randall did try to help me out before he changed.” Mike explained. “He was very shy when we first met, and I had to give him confidence.” 

Mikey had never seen Randall like that. This guy didn’t seem so bad. Eventually, they started talking about jokes and pranks. Mikey even talked about how Randall helped to pull pranks on his brothers. 

Randall was looking around, and he could see that the turtles were becoming more comfortable with the monsters they had just met. There were some things they were sharing in common with them. Raph soon moved over by him. 

“It never hurts to make new friends, since we usually have such a hard time making friends in our world.” Raph said. 

“I know. Especially when you’re seen as the hothead, the outcast.” Randall replied. His arms were crossed. He was at a loss of what to do for the moment. He just hoped this wouldn’t take too long. 

They all talked for a few hours. It was well after nine when they decided that it would be a good idea to leave the factory for some basic needs.


	15. Chapter 15

Sulley welcomed the turtles and Randall to his apartment, as he lived alone now. Mike went home to Celia after he and Fungus drove them to Sulley‘s. Fungus then went home to his own apartment. Randall didn’t want to be left alone with Sulley, so he was glad that the turtles were with him. 

Randall went up to Leo. “I saw that you and Sullivan were getting along pretty well. But, I need to know, after he told you his part, you don’t think any less of me, do you?” He asked with concern in his eyes. 

“It does help to know both sides. But I see that Sullivan and his friend did what they thought was best because they saw you as a threat to them and the little girl. But with all the things we have been through with you, Randall, we know you’re no longer that monster. No, I don’t think any less of you. After all, you came back and got us for help. And yes, I can see how bad the situation here is. We just need to have a plan to get the bad guys to come out of hiding.” Leo explained. 

“Thanks, Leo.” Randall said. 

Sulley hadn’t had this many guests in a while. He was still wary around Randall, but his friends seemed like they could truly be trusted. 

The turtle in blue, as the leader, had talked about ways he knew of to draw out enemies, and how he and his brothers looked out for one another, even calling Randall a brother too. He had seen that even Mike had clicked with the orange masked one, the baby of the bunch, and his nickname was Mike too. Sulley snickered at the idea of Mike and Mike. 

Fungus had clicked with the purple masked one real well too, particularly on matters of science and math, and technology of their world. 

Sulley had noticed that the red masked turtle had stood by Randall. Leo had told him that Raph was short tempered, something he and Randall shared. Sulley could relate to that. Sulley heard that Raph had nearly done severe damage to Mikey once, way before Randall had come along. But, his strength and temper could be used as a secret weapon of sorts. Randall had also become a secret weapon, with his invisibile fighting techniques.

Leo had even told Sulley how Randall had killed a giant evil human man, as the man was threatening Leo himself when he was severely injured in battle. At least Randall had killed for the right reasons. 

Leo also told him of how Randall had taken on an evil alien in battle armor to save him, and had gotten wounded badly for it, hence the scars on his back that Randall had pointed out himself. Now it made sense. 

Hearing these stories of what Randall had done in the human world made Sulley realize that Randall had become a warrior over there, for the side of good. As these turtles were warriors themselves, it seemed to Sulley, that Randall had made a good choice in bringing them back here to help. But, there was still the question of how they were going to take on Waternoose and his gang. How would they bring them to justice? 

When Sulley went into the kitchen to see what he had for the turtles to eat for dinner, Randall went into the kitchen with him, as he knew about monster foods that might be similar to what Earth foods were here in the monster world. 

“Do you know what your friends like, Randall? I’m afraid I’m not sure what they eat.” Sulley said. 

“Yes. I know what they like. I’ll make them something. I know how to use an oven. Mike knows how to cook well too, but not here.” Randall replied. “Don’t be taking advantage of my friends, Sullivan.” he warned sternly. 

“I’m not taking advantage of them. From what I had heard from Leonardo about you, you were taught how to be a warrior. You have killed before.” 

“Only to defend my friends. And even though you had your reasons for throwing me through the door, I still remember it as if it was yesterday. At least when Waternoose and I put you through a door, we didn’t toss you into someone’s house where you got nearly beaten to death upside the head with a shovel!” Randall exclaimed. 

Sulley saw the scars on Randall’s face from the shovel, because he didn’t have those before he was thrown through the door. “Randall, we never would have meant to get you killed. You just needed to learn a lesson.” 

“I learned plenty from the turtles, but not from those hillbillies that tried to kill me! They thought I was a gator. The turtles have one of those as a friend, and I am certainly no gator!” Randall said angrily. 

The turtles could hear Randall yelling in the kitchen at Sullivan. 

“Randall, I’m sorry.” Sulley said. 

“Sorry isn’t going to make up for what was done to me. I used to dream about getting revenge against you two for what you did to me, but from lessons I learned, I now think better of it.” The lizard said. “Just show me where the food is. I’ll cook for my friends.” 

Sulley was at a loss for words. He showed him what food was available. Randall got the ingredients together and began cooking a meal he knew his friends would like. 

Sulley left Randall to do the cooking while he went back to the living room to be with the turtles. 

“We heard what he said to you in there.” Don said. 

“He has been learning to channel his temper better, but now that he’s in contact with you again, he just wanted to let you know how he felt about what happened.” Leo said. 

“What Mike and I did with him at the time seemed like the right thing to do. He was trying to harm a human child who had become our friend, and we were just protecting her.” Sulley explained. 

“We know what it’s like to protect humans, even if they don’t give us the gratitude we deserve after saving them. And it does get to be nerve racking at times.” Raph said. 

“And having chosen the ninja life, staying in the shadows and defending in secret, it kept us safer during our earlier years.” Leo said. 

“How old are you four anyway?” Sulley asked. “You all seem a little young.” 

“We’re all 17. We’ve just had more… action than most teenagers would have at this age.” Leo said. 

“And we know how to act more mature in serious situations, at least three of us do.” Don said, giving Mikey a glance. 

“What?” Mikey asked. 

“Or four.” Randall said from the door. He came and joined them. “The food can sit a bit before needing to be stirred more.” 

“What are we having anyway?” Mikey asked. “I’m starving.” 

“It’s kind of like mac and cheese hamburger helper, but it’s this world’s version of it.” Randall replied. 

That did sound good to them. Randall still glared at Sulley. Sulley just sat in his chair. He wanted no trouble. He was beginning to think Randall should have gone home with Fungus. 

A bit later, all the guys were enjoying the new kind of mac and cheese hamburger helper that Randall had cooked up in Sulley’s kitchen. It was new and strange to them, but it was good. 

Sulley didn’t know that Randall was such a good cook. It was good food. He cooked even better than Mike had. 

“I never knew you could cook like this, Randall.” Sulley said. “It’s awesome.” 

“Thanks. I’ve had practice. I cook for these guys sometimes in their world.” Randall said, taking a big mouthful. 

“And he’s had a good teacher.” Mikey said. 

“You could never ask me to cook. I can’t even be trusted with a toaster.” Leo laughed. 

“Yeah, and I’m the one who’s always fixing it.” Don stated. 

They couldn’t help but have a laugh at that. Everyone continued to talk about things up until the evening news came on, and it was revealed that there was trouble with Waternoose and a gang called the Nomads.

The turtles now knew who they were looking for. 

Ever since Mike had moved in with Celia after marrying her, Sulley kept Mike’s room as a guestroom. When it was time for bed, Sulley let them use his room. 

“I wish I had more beds.” Sulley said. 

“It’s alright. We’re used to sleeping in awkward places. Even on the floor.” Raph said. 

“But you do have blankets, right?” Don asked. 

“Sure. I don’t need any because of my fur, but yes, I have blankets for guests.” Sulley replied. 

Sulley went to his supply closet and got blankets for each one of them that wouldn’t be using the bed. Randall preferred a bed, but he could sleep on a couch or the floor too if needed. 

“Goodnight, guys.” Sulley said, and went to his room. It had been a long day. 

Leo and Don took the bed. Randall wasn’t about to sleep on a bed that Mike had once slept on. Raph and Mikey took the floor, so it was just them two, and Randall that had the extra blankets. 

They all got settled and tried to sleep in this strange world. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, but they would wait however long it took to bring their enemies down. 

Randall was still unsure of this. He was near Mikey’s side. He still wondered why he was in his old rival’s home. But he knew why. It was just to have a place to stay until the time was right. He never left his spot once he was settled. After all the running around earlier that day had left him exhausted. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. 

Sulley was worried that Randall would sneakily get up and try to kill him in his sleep. He didn’t sleep too well that night.  
……………..

Fungus was glad to finally be home again. He had fed and cleaned himself up some more. He felt relieved to finally be back in his own home and his own bed again. He was grateful to Randall for getting him here. 

This Randall was not the one he had known before, but there were still some old qualities there from the old Randall. There always would be, but in a better package. 

Fungus settled down to sleep. 

From the outside, there were a few gangsters watching until his lights went out. All the lights in the building were off, indicating monsters were sleeping. Now was a good time to go in and get the little tattletail. 

Three of the Nomads Gang: Knuckles, Swifty, and Spyder were sneaking into Fungus’s apartment to get him back. They were going to draw Randall out of hiding by using his friend as bait. 

Swifty was good at picking locks. He got them in ever so quietly. They saw the number that Fungus’s name was on and went up to it, sneaking in ever so quietly. Using night goggles, they found their way to Fungus’s bedroom, where he was passed out in exhausted sleep. 

Spyder pulled the blankets back off Fungus. Then Knuckles picked up the little dark pink monster, putting his hand over his mouth. 

Fungus found himself picked up so suddenly and he was scared motionless. He tried to call for help. 

“You better shut up, you little pipsqueak, if you know what’s good for ya.” Spyder warned. 

Fungus knew that voice. One that threatened him all the time while he was their prisoner. 

“You are going to help us draw out Boggs, plus Sullivan and Wazowski.” Swifty added. 

Then Knuckles slammed a fist into the Fungus’s face. It knocked him out. “Enjoy your sleep, pipsqueak.” He said with a smile. 

Fungus was taken to the new hideout. This one was about 7 miles outside of Monstropolis, where it wouldn’t be seen by other meddling monster eyes.

Fungus was tied up to a chair. He would be used as bait to draw Randall and his rivals into a trap. They would get to work in the morning on the message. 

Waternoose needed Randall to finish the machine, and he knew he and Fungus would go to Sullivan and Wazowski for help. Of course, they had no idea that Randall had also brought the turtles to help. 

In the morning, Fungus awoke and he found himself bound to a chair. He didn’t have his glasses with him, so everything around him was blurry. He could make out shapes and voices around him though. 

“Hello, Fungus.” It was Waternoose in his face. 

Fungus struggled. “Mr. Waternoose! Why are you doing this?”

“I aim to bring back the screams, that’s why. I need Randall to finish the machine. We have the wires he demanded. Now he better put them in.” Waternoose said. 

“We have already sent a ransom note to the media. We are willing to let you go as long as Randall cooperates and does what we say.” The Creeper, who was next to the crab monster, declared. 

“We have found a better way, Mr. Waternoose. Laugh Energy is stronger than Scream Energy. We made it back from the blackout days.” Fungus explained. 

“We aren’t called Monsters for nothing, Fungus. Causing fear in human children has always been our goal. Laughing is so overrated. Kids are still going to be scared of us.” Waternoose exclaimed. 

Fungus knew this to be true, but he enjoyed the happier feel of his current job over the older fearful side of it. There wasn’t as much risk from the kids. Humans liked to harm things they didn’t understand. If they had a more positive outlook on monsters, then they wouldn’t try to hurt them in the long run. This was Fungus’s perspective. It was Sulley’s too. 

Fungus could only sit in the chair and hope the plans worked out, that Randall would come for him, and find some way to destroy that machine and stop Waternoose.  
……………

The turtles had stayed behind at Sulley’s apartment until further notice. Sulley and Randall had gone back to the factory to see if there was any further information, and indeed, there was. 

The turtles were watching TV and saw the message on the news that Randall was wanted in exchange for his former assistant. There was a letter that had been given to the factory about where they were to meet and make the trade-off. 

When Randall and Sulley got to the factory, there were CDA everywhere. They were waiting for the lizard and CEO. 

“What’s going on?” Sulley asked. 

“There was a message on the media this morning that Mr. Jeffrey Fungus has once again been captured, and his captors want Mr. Boggs to turn himself over to them. In this envelope is where they want you to meet them.” The number two CDA agent handed a yellow envelope to the lizard. 

Sulley opened it for him with his claws and Randall took the paper out to read it. This was just great. It hadn’t been a full day yet and Fungus was already in their custody, again. 

Randall read that they wanted him to finish the machine and test it on a child. Fungus was no longer needed for the machine, so he would be released if Randall cooperated. And to make things more interesting, during the night, the child that Sullivan was close to had also been taken from her room and would be the test subject. According to the ransom note, there could be no CDA or cops involved. They would aim to destroy the factory next if things were not done as they had wished. 

Randall’s eyes widened when he read the note. 

“What’s wrong, Randall?” Sulley asked. 

“Just that they want me to get the machine up and going again and test it on a child. And they don’t want authorities involved, or they’ll kill Fungus.” Randall exclaimed. “And destroy the factory.” 

Sulley didn’t like this. The CDA took this comment seriously. 

When they were alone, Randall also told Sulley that the little girl was to be the test child again. He didn’t want to bring it up in front of the CDA. 

Sulley knew that couldn’t happen. “You better not think about using Boo as your test subject again.” he warned. 

“Of course not. I’ll get her and the other kids out of there. Tonight. And Fungus.” Randall said. 

He read where the meeting place was. The time to meet was at nine tonight. The place was the former hideout. So it was decided. 

Mike and Celia were at the factory too. They were let in on the plan as well. 

Sulley and Randall and Mike went back to Sulley’s apartment right away to tell the turtles the plan. 

Celia was shocked to see these four strange, unusual creatures. And the CDA didn’t even know they were here in their world. 

“I know of a way to just sneak in and get Fungus out of the bad guys’ hideout.” Donny spoke up. 

Everyone was all ears. “How?” asked Randall. 

“Randall, you can wear a turtle tracker and you can meet with them as they request, because we don’t know where they are hiding. They take you to where they are holding Fungus, and we follow in a borrowed truck.” Don stated. 

“But who’s going to drive it?” Sulley asked. “You guys can’t be seen by the CDA.” 

“I can drive it.” Mike said. 

Celia was worried for her husband. “Just be careful, Googly-bear.” she said. 

Randall rolled his eyes at the nickname. The turtles were amused at it. They had never heard such a nickname before. 

“Randall, once you are inside their lair, do what they say, but try to get a door opened for us.” Leo said. 

“I’ve been working on smaller ear pieces.” Don said. He took one out of his duffel bag and handed a piece that Randall would put into one of his ears, and another as a sticker under his chin, so that it wasn’t seen quite so easily. He would also be wearing a turtle tracker in his other ear hole. 

“We’ll be wearing our earphone pieces, so we’ll be able to hear everything they say as well.” Don said. 

“You’ve come up with quite a good plan there, Donatello.” Sulley said. 

“It helps to have these things in situations like this.” Don replied. “It helps to be prepared.” 

“Are you guys planning to kill the enemies as well?” Mike asked. 

“Only if it’s in the heat of battle.” Leo said. “If it comes to it.” 

“Waternoose is more the threat than his associates.” Mike said. 

“The Creeper is someone to be dealt with too. He’s the leader of the Nomads Gang.” Sulley said. 

“They are some of the toughest gang members on the edges of Monstropolis.” Celia said. 

“We’ll handle them.” Raph said. “You can count on it.” 

The turtles were all ready for this action. And Randall was ready to destroy that menacing machine.


	16. Chapter 16

At nine that night, as promised, Randall was ready to meet the Nomads, who would then take him to free Fungus. He met them at their old hideout. 

Mike was driving a rented truck that would hold Sulley and the turtles as well. They would wait for Randall’s signal at the hideout to get in and help. Mike also had a cell phone they would use to call in the CDA when the criminals were subdued.

Randall had everything in place so they were out of sight of his enemies. He was inside now, looking around. 

“I’m here, you crooks!” Randall called out. “Just as you wanted me to be!” 

He kept on looking around and seeing nothing. Then, a big spotlight came on in the building, and Randall had to shield his eyes. He realized that he had made a mistake when he felt something wrapping around his body and lifting him off of his feet, making him curl almost into a ball. He was in a net! 

“What the-? Let me out of here!” Randall called out. He immediately began to struggle. 

“Good call, Swifty.” the Creeper said as he came into Randall’s view. “And look who we have here. The famous Boggs is back to rescue his friend. We never knew you were such a weak lizard.” 

“Where’s Fungus? I came as you requested.” Randall snarled. “Now let me out of here!” He squirmed in the net, trying to get free. 

“Oh, we’ll take you to him. And you are going to finish that machine and test it; or as we said before, he dies.” Creeper warned. “Get him down.” 

The net was dropped, taking the wind out of Randall’s lungs as he landed on his back. The net was then dragged to a transport truck and Randall was thrown inside. 

Back in their own truck, Don was keeping tabs on Randall’s tracker, and the turtles could all hear the transmissions from his hidden microphone. 

“Get ready to drive, Mike.” Don said. 

“Gotcha.” Mike replied. 

“I hope he’s alright.” Mikey said. 

“He’ll be fine, Mikey.” Leo rubbed his brother’s shell. “He’s been trained as one of us too.” 

Sulley and Mike wouldn’t have doubted that. Then Don said, “They’re on the move.” 

Mike started up the truck and Don told him directions.  
……………

After a half hour drive, the Creeper and Swifty, plus Knuckles arrived at their new hideout with Randall still in the net. Knuckles carried the net over his shoulders inside the new warehouse. 

He was taken to where the machine was before the net was finally put down and taken off of him. 

“Good to see you again, Randall.” Waternoose said. “Now get to work! I want this machine done in two days, or Fungus here will be terminated!” He motioned to the scared, pink monster in the chair. 

Randall knew he didn’t have much choice, but he picked up a screwdriver and the new wires that he had asked for. He had plans to wire this thing so it would explode. He had learned about creative rewiring from Don. 

Fungus gave him a sad look. Randall gave him a reassuring look in exchange. He began hooking up the extra wires. 

Eventually, Randall took a look around, and he saw kids in the far back of this large room. He also saw a girl with black hair and brown eyes, that looked like a slightly older version of the little girl he had dealt with a couple of years ago. He went back to work. 

At one point, Randall pretended he was scratching an itch on his chin, and whispered to the turtles. “If you’re there guys, wait fifteen minutes.” 

Waternoose and the Nomads Gang were just sitting around, making sure he was working, or watching over Fungus. They brandished knives as motivation to keep Randall working.

Randall had finished wiring the machine. Now it would be no use to them. 

Outside, Mike had pulled the truck up as close as he dared. He left some distance, in case of being seen. They got Randall’s request. 

“I finished adding the wires. It should be ready now.” Randall said after ten minutes. 

Waternoose was pleased. “Good, good. Now to bring out the test child.” 

Tank got the little girl known as Boo out of her cage. There was a chair she would be restrained in. 

“No! NO! Let me go!” Boo cried out. She wanted to go home. Where was her Kitty? 

Boo glanced at the big purple lizard that she had recalled from some time ago. He looked at her sadly. But he wasn’t going to let this happen. 

Just as Tank was about to strap her down into the chair, Randall made his move. He suddenly vanished and tripped the big tankish monster with his tail, making him cry out as he fell forward. Randall grabbed the kid in his hands before he hit the floor. 

Randall reappeared. “Gotcha, Kid!” he said. But he was distracted long enough to get a slash on his neck from a knife. 

Randall cried out, but didn’t drop the girl. He turned and growled at the monster, Smasher, for cutting him. He held his neck. “Now, guys! NOW!” He yelled into the piece. 

“That’s the signal! Let’s go!” Leo ordered. 

The turtles and even Sulley got out of the truck and stormed the building. It really didn’t matter if Randall had opened a door or not. Raphael could easily knock down doors, and Leonardo’s katanas could slice through metal. 

The gang was dumbfounded when the lizard had called out as if he was ordering back up to move in or something. 

“And just who are you calling for, Randall?” Waternoose demanded. 

The Creeper mocked him. “Help that will never come because they know you’re a bad monster, like us.”

“I’m not like you anymore.” Randall said, as blood was oozing from his wound. It was a flesh wound, not one to the jugular or any other vital vein. 

Boo was a little scared of the lizard holding her. She squirmed a bit, but he held her still. 

“Hold still, Kid. You’re fine.” Randall said. 

Raphael was itching for a fight. He ran for a door that he saw would get them inside. He did a flying leap and he kicked the door in, making it go crashing to the floor. 

Waternoose and the Nomads were shocked at the door coming crashing down with a loud bang. There was a big, green creature they had never seen before standing on it, with what looked like long knives in his hands. Then Sullivan and three other green-shelled creatures came inside too, with swords, a staff, and nunchukus drawn. 

“This ends here, Waternoose!” Sulley yelled at his old boss. 

“This will never end, Sullivan! Scaring isn’t enough anymore! And Laughing will never be what scaring was!” Waternoose snapped at him. 

“That’s right, it won’t! It’s even better!” Sulley said. 

The turtles began to spread out. 

“Leo! Over here! Fungus is in the chair!” Randall called out. 

“Nomads! Attack these creatures!” The Creeper ordered. 

Waternoose went to face Sulley. He wanted revenge on him for ruining his plans from before. Sulley was at a disadvantage, as he wasn’t sure what to do against his old boss. He had never fought like this before. 

Leo ran and jumped over the other monsters. He quickly cut Fungus free from the chair before jumping back into the fight. Randall put the girl down next to him and he joined in as well. 

Randall vanished and leaped onto Swifty. He coiled his body around Swifty’s upper half and squeezed the air out of him. Swifty tried to break free, but Randall’s grip only tightened more. Swifty felt he couldn’t breathe, then he lost consciousness. When Randall didn’t feel resistance, he reappeared, and he let Swifty fall to the floor, winded and unconscious. 

Leo went up against the Creeper, who tried slashing at the blue masked turtle with his knife. Leo threw a shuriken at his hand, knocking the knife away. Creeper backed up. But then, he charged at Leo. Leo sidestepped, and then he jumped at the monster, kicking him in the chest and sending him back into a wall - a move that he had once done to Hun too. The Creeper was winded. 

Don went up against the Smasher. He tried to smash the turtle in, but using his bo, Don was able to get around him. Don struck him in the stomach and ribs, knocking the wind out of him and making him fall to the floor in pain. Then, Don saw Sulley was in danger. 

Raph was up against Tank, now that he was up again. He jumped up and kicked the monster in the face and knocked him out. 

Mikey was up against Knuckles. He hit him in the face and all over his body with his nunchukus. It got him knocked out too. Then he went up against Spyder, who was now threatening Fungus and Boo. 

“Leave them alone!” Mikey yelled. He jumped onto the spider monster’s back and held on for a wild ride. Spyder snarled madly, trying to get the energetic turtle off him before he was hit in the back of the head, making him go down. 

Don landed on the floor a little behind Waternoose and as the crab monster was advancing on Sulley, who was backing up. Don threw his bo staff down low, it getting caught in between some of the crab’s legs, getting him tangled up and he tripped too. He fell onto his side. 

Don came up and collected his staff. Waternoose looked up and then there was a red masked turtle beside him. Raph had a mad look on his face. Then two more turtles appeared with their weapons drawn. Waternoose eyed the swords in the blue one’s hands. 

“This is over, Waternoose.” Leo stated sternly. 

Waternoose could see his cronies were all winded or out cold. He knew this battle was lost. 

Randall and Fungus came forward with the child. Randall’s neck and chest were covered in his own blood. At least he hadn’t let the pain deter him from the fight. 

The turtles began tying up the criminals after that, and freeing the kids from their cages. The kids were grateful for this. Seeing the turtles was like seeing something familiar from their own world, just in a more humanoid form. 

Mike called the CDA after everyone was secured. The turtles and the kids waited in the rental truck. They couldn’t be seen. Randall also pushed the scream machine’s start button, making it burst into flames. It then exploded, taking the warehouse down with it. 

The gang members and Waternoose were all ready for the authorities to take them to jail. The kids were ready to go home. 

The CDA came and the criminals were taken into custody. There were even paramedics there that tended to Randall’s neck wound. Fungus was alright too. 

“We want to go home.” The kids whined in the truck.

“You all will get to go home very soon. We promise.” Don said gently. His soft voice was comforting to the kids. 

The turtles just watched what went on outside. At least the criminals were now in custody. 

Soon, everyone left and it was time to go home. When Sulley, Mike, Fungus and Randall returned to the rental truck, Randall had bandages on his neck. 

This had been one big night. They went back to the factory and worked on where each child had come from and spent the night getting the kids home again.  
………………

The next day, they all took the day off from working and slept to get their energy back. 

The crisis was finally over with. The Scream Extractor was no more. Randall was glad it was over with and that he would never see it again. 

Sulley had finally seen the turtles in action, and they had been good fighters. The monsters wouldn’t have been able to take down Waternoose and the Nomads without them. He was also indebted to Randall, for saving Boo. 

Boo was the last child to be sent home, as she had made up with Randall. It had cost him a small price, the minor neck wound, but it was worth it in the end to hear that she forgave him for everything. She was old enough now to understand. 

Don later took a look at the wound, and it was stitched. It would be fine. Randall also gave back the earpieces he had been given for the fight. 

Sulley and Mike had been even surprised at how well Randall had fought alongside his friends. It was evident they were true allies to be trusted. Randall was a hero now instead of a bad guy. His friends, the turtles, were also heroes. 

The turtles wanted to wait and see what the outcome of Randall’s trial was going to be before they headed back to the human world, their world. 

Roz would give it a week to let things settle down before the trial would begin. She and the CDA still didn’t know of the turtles’ presence. It was for the better.  
…………..

Over the next week, the turtles stayed in Sulley’s apartment. Randall chose to stay at Fungus’s apartment for the time being, awaiting the trial he had promised to face. Fungus only lived about four blocks away from Sulley’s. 

The turtles also went out patrolling at night, but not too far from Sulley’s, as they didn’t know this town like their own. They would get out of the apartment from a fire escape on the backside of the building. They visualized the surrounding areas so they could find their way back to Sulley’s. They even went to Fungus’s apartment to visit Randall. 

Randall found himself doing all the cooking at Sulley’s if he visited them there, because the turtles didn’t know what food was good in this world. Mikey could make a meal out of anything, but Leo, Don, and Raph were much more careful of what they ate here. 

One day before the trial would take place, Don came up with an idea. Sulley was at the factory working at the time. 

“Guys, since we can’t be there for Randall’s trial, what if we recorded our voices to tell some of the things he’s done that prove he’s not who he used to be?” Don suggested. 

“That sounds like a good idea, Donny.” Leo agreed. “But remember, we can’t mention humans. Not even Hun. They can’t know he killed.” 

“But we can say he has helped us in our time of need.” Raph said. 

“Yes. We can say he’s helped us with defending us, learned special lessons from us, and helped create things that are not dangerous, like cars. Surely, they could see no harm in that.” Don explained. “We would just have to remain anonymous.” 

They waited until Sulley came home and ran it by him. 

“That does show potential, guys.” Sulley agreed. 

“They do look for testimonies like that, don’t they?” Don asked. 

“Yes, they do. They want all traces of evidence before the final decision.” Sulley said. 

“Do you have a tape recorder, to record our voices?” Mikey asked. 

“Yes. Somewhere.” Sulley said. He began looking for it and found it in one of the kitchen drawers. He put in a tape and each turtle was recorded, being careful of what they said. They tried to make sure they didn’t say anything related to the human world. Just things that the judge would find beneficial in that Randall was not a criminal and not be sentenced to jail. If he would be banished, this time legally, then at least he would have a place to go. 

Sulley soon went to bed because he was going to the trial tomorrow as a witness. The turtles went over to Fungus’s apartment soon after. They wanted to talk about this with Randall, so that he would know that they were on his side. 

Randall heard the tapping on the window and went to let his friends inside. He was so nervous about tomorrow. He wished they could be there with him. 

“You’re probably thinking about the trial tomorrow, right?” Leo asked him. 

“Yes. I can’t help but be nervous about this.” Randall replied, looking at the floor. 

“Randall, Sulley agreed for us to give you a hand as well.” Mikey said. 

Randall looked up at him. “How?” 

“He recorded our voices to tell them about things you’ve done alongside us, but we made sure to not mention anything from the human world, and we didn’t mention anything about you having killed before.” Don explained. 

“It wasn’t like I killed all the time, just when your lives were in danger.” 

“We know. And Sullivan promises to keep it a secret.” Raph said. 

“We just wanted to go over this with you before your trial, so we aren’t keeping you in the dark about anything.” Leo said. 

Randall gave a smile. “Thanks, guys.” True friends didn’t leave their friends in the dark about important information. 

“Well, we’re going to go on patrol. Do you want to join us for a little while?” Leo asked. 

“Sure. My nerves are fried right now.” Randall said. He never used to do this before, but after having met the turtles, it had become a new part of who he was. 

Buildings in Monstropolis were similar to New York’s. They were right next to each other, wall to wall. So, it made it easy for the turtles and Randall to go running and jumping over rooftops, patrolling. Not that there was much out here, but it was nice, fresh air. 

They covered a four block radius and found nothing. Then, they brought Randall back to Fungus’s so he could get some sleep. He had a big day tomorrow that would decide his fate here in the Monster World. The turtles returned to Sulley’s.  
………….

Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey were all concerned on how the trial was going. They couldn’t help but pace around the apartment. 

Sulley, Fungus, Mike, Celia, and other monsters were at Randall’s trial. It began at 10 am. 

Randall was up in the defendant’s area. There were many CDA agents around. He was going to be his own lawyer. He would try to use Leo and Splinter’s teachings to remain as calm as he possibly could. He tried to steady his breathing and not panic. He had on a rented suit shirt. 

He still had stitches in his neck that would come out tomorrow. He didn’t want to look at them, so he kept them bandaged. Perhaps it would also convince the jury that he was not a bad monster any longer. 

The judge came into the room, a big, brown square kind of monster, wearing a black jacket. He had his bottom fangs sticking out of his mouth. He had curvy horns, no tail, two legs, and hands with seven fingers on them. His dark eyes took in the defendant. 

“All rise for the Judge Drax.” came the order. 

Witnesses and Randall alike arose in respect. Drax got to his seat and sat down. “Sit down.” he said. He had a deep, booming voice. Everyone sat down. It wasn’t easy for Randall to sit in just any chair like most other monsters. 

Witnesses began to get called. Each one was asked that they would tell the truth. They all said yes. 

There was many a monster that said that Randall wasn’t a nice monster at his job, but he was a determined worker. His old supervisor had said that he had always been good about paying his rent and seemed to keep to himself, and he wasn’t a trouble maker. At least up until two years ago when he had just disappeared. Then he had no choice but to evict him even though he wasn’t there. 

Sulley, Mike, and Celia definitely didn’t have many nice things to say about Randall. Well, Mike had spoken about college, but that was a long time ago. Sulley did say how good Randall had been about stopping the bad guys in their latest encounter, getting a little hurt in the process. He had stopped the Scream Extractor once and for all. 

It was still a mystery to the CDA how they had won the battle against the Nomads Gang. They were a tough gang to take on and get away unscathed. Randall and Sulley couldn’t have done it alone. 

Sulley also discussed Randall’s mysterious actions when he mentioned that he had been staying with some friends who had been helping him for a long time. He explained that they had helped to take the Nomads down, but they couldn’t come to the trial because of family emergencies - a made up excuse. Sulley asked if the recordings could be played. 

The judge agreed. 

The whole monster crowd listened as the turtles explained sides to Randall that no one had seen, and how he had been reformed into a better monster. He had built some good vehicles with some help, though not from around here. He had learned about compassion, honor, and humility. He had learned about some medical techniques. He had even protected his friends from others that were attacking them.

 

Each turtle used shortened versions of their first names, with the exception of Raph. They hadn’t said what they were, just an anonymous group of Randall’s friends who had helped him out when he was in a time of need, as his life was falling apart. They helped explain why he had mysteriously disappeared for two years. 

Mike and Sulley knew the truth, but it was better if the monster world never heard it. 

After all the evidence from witnesses was given, Randall was asked to take the stand. He took a deep breath, and he let it out. He got up and went to the stand. He swore to tell the truth. 

A lawyer named Mr. Sarge came up to him. He was a blue monster, about four feet tall with two standing eyes, and tentacles for feet. He had two four fingered hands. “Who are these friends who helped you?” 

“They are from out of town. They are anonymous.” Randall replied calmly. 

“And I looked on your public and health records, Randall. It said in the medical file that you also wear glasses. Is this true?” 

“It was, yes. But I no longer need them. One of my friends is also a doctor, and he corrected my vision.” Randall said. 

“About the Scream Extractor, how did you become involved with it?” Sarge asked. 

“At the time, Mr. Waternoose was my boss at Monsters, Inc. He wanted to keep his factory running despite not having enough Scream Energy. I thought of a way to do it, because I wanted to help our world avoid losing power. I had heard him talk before how he would do anything to keep the factory from going under. So, I invented the machine and approached Waternoose about it. I showed him blueprints of it and told him what it would eventually do when finished. I knew it might have its risks, but it was just to help our world. I needed Waternoose to fund my work, even though it was done in secret. It would have been announced if it had been successful.” 

“And when it was finally finished, we needed a test child. And that was how the child got in that time. But I didn’t let her in. Someone else had, but I tried to do what I could to just get my machine tested. But the plans were destroyed. My machine was destroyed, and I started going mad. I know I almost did some terrible things to two individuals in here, and I’m truly sorry. I was just desperate at the time. But I wouldn’t have intentionally brought harm to the child.” 

“That was years ago. More recently, Waternoose was acting of his own accord to rebuild my machine. He threatened to kill Fungus to make me work on it. I have learned that making that first machine was the biggest mistake of my life. It took away two years of my life, and I let my health get bad during that time. I was always busy on it. I hated it. Before building it, my boss had promised me fame, money, and respect, and recognition for my work. I truly am sorry for all the craziness that happened.” Randall explained all of what he remembered and the reasons for his bad actions. 

There had been sentiment in Randall’s voice while he explained the chain of events. There were no other questions asked. They had just wanted to know what had happened to why he was involved in the first place. 

“We will have our lunch recess and we will reconvene at three o’clock.” Judge Drax announced, and he smacked his gavel on the desk. It dismissed the crowd for lunch. 

Sulley, Fungus, Mike, and Celia went back to Sulley’s for lunch. It would give them time to see the turtles to let them know how it was going, but the decision would be waiting for this afternoon. 

“So, how did it go?” Leo asked when they stepped inside the apartment. 

“We don’t know yet.” Sulley replied. “But your recordings were heard. I’m sure some of the other monsters had their doubts about who you are. There were many who didn’t have nice things to say about Randall. But we’re just hoping that his punishment will be a lighter one. It could be jail time, or banishment. I’m sure he’s not getting off scot free for what happened.” 

“That’s all we could do.” Don said. “We tried to help as much as we could.” 

Randall was still nervous about what they were going to say his fate would be. If it was banishment, he knew where he would go. He didn’t want to go anywhere else. 

They all had lunch and Randall was too nervous to eat at all. Then the monster group had to go back to the courthouse for the verdict at three. 

After everyone was settled, the judge asked, “Has the jury reached a verdict?” 

“We have, Your Honor.” An orange female answered. 

The envelope was passed down and a guard took it to him. He read it, and gave it back. Then he said, “Defendant Boggs, please stand.” 

Randall stood up. He looked up with as much courage as he could muster. He would take the punishment, whatever it was. He knew if he went to jail, he would have to let his friends leave without him. 

“Due to your involvement with Waternoose, your attempts to cause harm to two other monsters, conspiracy, and other actions that are not known to us, you are considered a threat to our society. Although your friends have said that you have been reformed, your illegal activities have continued. You are hereby charged as Guilty.” Judge Drax declared. “The standing punishment will be in my office afterwards.” 

Many other monsters were glad he was found guilty. Mike was too for what he had done in the past and for so long. Sulley looked over at Randall, who now had his fronds flattened down to his head in sadness. 

Guards took Randall to the back, putting cuffs on his wrists. He was taken to an investigator’s room to wait for the judge, with a guard standing in the room. His hands were cuffed to the table. 

Soon, the judge came into the room. “How is it that you didn’t have a lawyer?” 

“I couldn’t afford one. It was so last minute.” Randall replied. 

“Now that I have gone over your records and considered the testimonies given about you and your actions, I have made my decision on what your punishment is.” Drax said. 

“I can take it.” Randall said. “I want to get it out of the way so I can get on with my life.” 

“Given that you are a threat to our society, Mr. Boggs, you are hereby sentenced to…” 

Randall swallowed, waiting for the words nervously. 

“Banishment.” 

Randall lowered his head in shame. But at the same time, it was a miracle. He knew where he would go. 

“You may stay until your injury is healed. Until it is time for your banishment, you are to be held in the CDA’s custody.” Drax ordered. 

“Wait, why can’t I spend it with my friends? I won’t be any trouble, I promise.” Randall said. “I did stop Waternoose and his cronies, didn’t I? I need time to say goodbye.” 

“Fine. You can spend time with them just until it’s time for you to go. Given your injury needs time to finish healing, spend these last days with them. You have two weeks.” 

Randall was grateful when he was released and free to go. He went with Sulley back to his apartment. 

“So, was it decided?” Raphael asked in anticipation. The turtles were anxious about the decision. 

“I didn’t tell anyone until we got back so I only had to tell you once.” Randall said. “The judge thought I was a threat to society. He banished me, but I have until the injury heals to stay.” 

“That wouldn’t be a problem to look after back in our world.” Don said. 

“I want to be gone before the CDA comes for me.” Randall said. 

“Give us a couple of days, Randall. The weekend will be the best time for you and the turtles to go back.” Sulley said. 

“Very well.” Leo said. 

At least when Randall came back with them, now he had a clear conscience that his actions were justified, and he wouldn’t have to come back here anymore. He had nothing in this world for him any longer. He had a new life to look forward to, however long it would be. 

Sulley gave Randall a box of stuff that had been confiscated from his apartment. At least he would have something to remember this place, and his former life.


	17. Chapter 17

A couple of days later, the weekend was here, and Sulley and Mike and Fungus snuck Randall and the turtles back to the factory. They summoned the door that would take them back to New York. 

The turtles all said goodbye and it had been an honor to meet them and fight alongside them. And Randall was actually glad to get this punishment, but had been shamed by his actions of the past. But now, he could let this part of his life go to fully heal. 

Fungus was grateful to Randall that he had saved his life from Waternoose. 

“I just wish you a happy life, Randall.” Sulley said. 

“Thanks. I know I have one now.” Randall replied. 

“If there’s trouble with Waternoose in the future, I hope you can handle it.” Leo said. 

“We’ll find a way to do it. Thanks again for your help, Leonardo.” Sulley said. “It was nice to meet you.” 

There was a final goodbye, and Randall and his turtle friends all went through the door, closing it behind them. It was over. 

For Sulley and Mike, it was a relief off their shoulders that Randall wasn’t going to cause trouble here anymore. And the CDA wouldn’t have to force him anywhere. Fungus was a little bit relieved, but at the same time, he and Randall were starting to get along better this time around. He wished he could have been welcome to stay. 

Things could start to get back to normal here in the monster world. They didn’t have to view Randall as a threat anymore. Even if he snuck back through another door and wasn’t seen at all.   
……………

The turtles and Randall got back through the child’s door before it deactivated. They closed the door and it was gone. They snuck to the window, opened it, got out, and closed the window again. 

They were now on a rooftop, a few blocks from April’s shop. Now Randall was a permanent resident of the human world. 

They went to April’s apartment, where there was a joyful reunion with April. They were all glad to be back. They had a sleepover that night in her living room. 

April was glad her closest friends were back home, and had heard what happened. Now Randall was here to stay.   
……………… 

After his escape and more charges added to his profile, Waternoose’s jail sentence was doubled. The Nomads Gang was now in jail as well. 

When the CDA went to go collect Randall for his chosen banishment site that they had chosen, it was found he wasn’t anywhere to be found. He had already left. 

After all they heard in the trial, Roz would have chosen banishment too. But she was disappointed that she didn’t get to have her words with him before he left.   
…………….

After the sleepover reunion, Randall stayed down in April’s basement again, happy to have his new home back. He thought he wouldn’t see it for a long time had he gone to jail. 

The turtle brothers went home and were glad to see their own home and Master Splinter again. 

“Welcome home, my sons.” Splinter greeted them. 

“It was a fun adventure, but it sure is good to be home.” Mikey said. 

“How did it go, my sons?” Splinter asked curiously. 

“Well, we got to meet the two rivals that Randall told us about. They are really very nice monsters. Randall just had a different view of them since he didn’t get along with them. We made friends with them, and then we developed a plan for taking on the enemies. We were able to defeat them. But given that they were not exactly martial arts trained, they were almost too easy to take down.” Leo explained. 

“Did Randall face a punishment?” Splinter asked. 

“Yes. He told his story, and from certain actions that they viewed as illegal and dangerous, the judge sentenced him to banishment.” Don said, “So, he’s here to stay with us permanently.” 

“At least he can now put this incident of the past behind him. He did help take down the others, right?” Splinter asked. 

“Yes. He got a wound on his neck in the process, but nothing compared to when he was hurt before.” Raph said. 

“He also made up with the little girl. She was there too.” Mikey said. 

Splinter was glad Randall had gone and helped to defeat his enemies, and had faced up to his crimes while there, and it had also resulted in a punishment that now was able to grant him full rights to the human world, permanently. 

The only drawback was that should Randall be more in danger from Bishop or some other whacked out scientist, is that he wouldn’t be able to go back to his other world for protection. But he had nearly the same qualifications as the turtles, being reptilian-like anyway, and so alien-like. 

At least Randall was now free to live his life as normally as possible with people who really cared about him, even if it was a small number. 

Each of the turtles sat down to talk to Splinter about what they saw in the monster world and the monsters they met, what they found out about them. 

Since Randall hadn’t known what happened since he was banished, the updates came out. Splinter was glad to hear that the monster world had moved on to nicer things mostly. Laughing was always better than being scared.   
…………….

Randall was going through the bag of what he had been given back. It was all stuff that had been taken from both his locker and his apartment. The rest of the stuff from his former apartment had been sold or destroyed most likely. Not that he had much to begin with from his life as a child. 

He was glad he would never have to see his old rivals again, but there was no chance he would ever be welcome there again. His name would be erased from whatever history there was. It wasn’t like he had a bunch of well known bloodlines back there anyway. He had no relatives that he knew of. He was an orphan. Alone in this cruel lifetime. And he was sure there would be no chance of him fathering any kids of his own, not that he wanted any. He might have learned some patience and kinder ways from his friends, but he figured he was too impatient and short tempered to want kids of his own. 

At least for the time being, Randall was just happy to be back in this world, and would concentrate on living in the moment. He would just be friends and a valuable ally with the mutant family and their friends. He would help them take down their enemies as much as possible. He would continue to be a partner in April’s shop. 

Since he worked with April, and she paid him for the work he did, but at least it wasn’t hectic, over-stressing kind of work. It was pretty laid back work really. Just stocking things and cleaning things. He couldn’t be seen by the public’s eyes, though he would make exceptions when it came to ones who tried to break in and steal. He would also be in charge of the place whenever April would be gone. Those were his jobs mainly at April’s.   
……………

A few days later, Casey came by the shop and heard the turtles and Randall were back from their little adventure. He had wanted to go along, but humans couldn’t go on this one, but he was told about what happened. 

Now Randall really was a true member of the family. No one in his former world wanted him there. He would keep what little things he had gotten back from his home, but that would be all that it was to remind him of his former life there. And he had plenty of memories over there, of which very few were good ones. 

After the monster world adventure, things went back to normal as much as possible. The turtles were glad to have finally seen Randall’s world. It sure made things around their home seem old fashioned, but then, their town had a lot more dangerous criminals.


	18. Chapter 18

Ever since Karai had taken over the Foot Clan, she had called the turtles her allies and she would not fight against them. But, there had been some men among her soldiers that had always deemed the turtles their enemies, and were always going to see them that way. 

One of the men was determined to see the Foot clan as an enemy to the turtles for as long as they existed. He would rise above his new leader! He began to organize and rally his own troops among the Foot. He was deemed a high honored ninja, and had been there a long time. 

He called himself Yogami. He was of Japanese origins. He had always had martial arts training in his family background and had been proud enough to become part of the Foot clan. He had loved working under the Utrom Shredder, but his daughter as the Shredder? There was no way he was going to stay under her rule. 

On one evening’s so-called practice run, he and all his allies were organized and ready to leave the Foot clan and become their own clan. Karai had no idea they were splitting off from her. 

Yogami had about sixty men alongside him. They had a place of their own to go to. Karai was not going to be giving them orders anymore. 

They went to the upper east side of Brooklyn to their new hideout and where they donned new garbs. And they had a new symbol on it too. It was a dragon symbol. 

Yogami wore dark green to tell him apart from his comrades. He was now standing on a podium in front of his sixty allies. He had a very, deep growly type voice. Not entirely like the Shredder’s, just a tad lower than that, but still deep enough. 

“Listen up, my new clan. We are now called the Dark Dragon Clan! We will never again follow that wench, Karai! She called those demons, the Turtles, her allies. We will never call them our allies. They will be forever, our enemies!” Yogami announced. 

“Yeah!” His men cheered. 

“We will take the turtles down, one way or another!” Yogami declared. 

“Yeah!” The men yelled again. 

It was clear Yogami had a good bunch following him, and were loyal. He would make sure to get more men to join his clan. If there was one thing for sure, he didn’t think women had a place in these arts. They seemed to ruin everything. That’s the way he saw Karai, that she wasn’t fit to lead the Foot clan. 

Over the coming weeks, Yogami was growing his ranks before he would get at the turtles, for good this time. 

They had also stolen some items from the Foot’s stock supplies like Foot Tech invisibility gear, and other weapons supplies as well. Guns, arrows, knives, shurikens, and many others.   
……………

When Karai found out that some of her clan was missing, she got suspicious. Usually, once they joined the clan, they were in it for life, and there was only one way they could leave, and that was through the grave. 

But Karai usually had more honor and would gladly let some people leave if they had to, generously. If they had to step out because of their family or something, it was generous, but it was when there were betrayers like Yogami, where she would see fit to end their misery existence if they sought to betray her. 

She had no idea at this moment that Yogami had broken off to start a new clan.   
…………….

Yogami went to the leader of the Purple Dragons, Dragon Face, and even secured ties with him. The Purple Dragons would work with the Dark Dragons as requested. Even they wanted to get some revenge on the turtles too, as they had killed their original leader, Hun. Well, they had just known it to be caused by them, though it had been their lizard friend who had killed Hun.   
……………..

There were still times when Leonardo still wanted to get out on his own to clear his head and get away from his brothers being obnoxious, especially Michelangelo. He would always love him though. He loved all of them. 

Donatello was probably the one that got on his nerves the least, since he was so quiet and did his own things. But he did worry about Don too, when he got too preoccupied in his projects and didn’t get enough sleep. 

Raphael was the one that got on his nerves the most really, always challenging his orders. Leo only ordered him not to do things so recklessly because he wanted him to be safe, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to him. 

All his brothers deemed him like a worrywart or a mother hen kind of figure because he cared so much about them. Leo also cared about their human friends, Randall, and all their other friends too that they didn’t see very often. 

Leo knew that Randall, of other friends of theirs, had become a big part of their lives. By now, he couldn’t count how many times Randall had helped them, and he had been proud to help Randall when he had needed them in his time of need in his former world. 

On this night, Leo was by himself, just going out for what would be a training run, and clearing his head. He had just wanted to get out and away from Raph and Mikey’s jeering from Mikey having talked Raph into playing video games with him. Don was busy in the lab and his father was busy meditating before bed. 

Leo made sure to bring his phone with him before he left. He had told Don he was going out to get some air. 

“Be careful, Leo.” Don said. 

“I always am.” Leo replied. 

Once topside, Leo began running over rooftops gracefully. He loved having this feeling, like he was free. And he didn’t have any concerns about the Foot Clan either. For a long time, he hadn’t heard anything from them, or seen them about the city. 

But, on this night, there were some ninjas out and about, a new version of them, and they knew the blue masked turtle well. They had spotted him running alone. They knew he was the leader. They had done this under their old leader’s rule once and had hurt him real good, almost having finished him that time, but hadn’t been able to finish the job. But they were more than willing to do it now!

This group had about seven, and they took off after the lead turtle. They weren’t letting him get away. One of them was even armed with dart drugs. They didn’t care about playing dirty. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw the ninjas get behind him. What the? The Foot clan should not be doing this. 

The ninjas took out their weapons and were ready to do battle with him. 

Leo thought that Karai was honorable. Why would she send her ninjas after him? But right now, he had to believe what he saw. These ninjas were enemies. 

He ran for a few many rooftops, hoping they would get off his tail, but they never did and kept up with him pretty good. They were making their intentions clear, that they wanted to do him in. 

Leo finally pulled up and growled angrily at them. “What do you want? Your leader said that you wouldn’t come after us anymore!” 

“Not our leader. Attack!” One in the front said. 

Leo immediately took out one of his katanas and it clashed with another sword first. He tested his skill against this ninja and then, used his left fist to strike him in the head, knocking him away. He then took out his other katana as well. 

One of the other ninjas in the back called for back up. They knew the lead turtle was often more than a match for them and would need more numbers to subdue him. They wanted a good fight out of him before they planned to take him prisoner. Without their leader, the turtles were a lot weaker, they thought. 

Twenty more ninjas got the call to assist for help with one of the turtles that had been sighted this night. 

Leo soon saw more ninjas coming in a large number. He was sure he could take them. He had fought off much more than that before. 

But these ninjas had been trained a different way and didn’t fight like they used to, a lot more like Karai. Perhaps they could use this to their advantage, to make him think that their former leader was betraying him. 

With many of the fighting techniques they had come to perfect from Karai before departing her clan, they soon had the blue turtle starting to break a sweat. And fifteen more joined them from another that called. This time, even Yogami came. 

Leo had never wanted to face this kind of situation again. As brave a face as he could put on, he fought with all he had in him. As he began panting more, one ninja swept his feet out from under him, making him land on his shell. He had been so busy fighting that he hadn’t had time to reach into his belt and call his brothers for help. 

Now that the turtle was on his back, panting hard for breath, Yogami stepped forward. 

“You are now in the presence of a new ninja clan, Lead Turtle. We are the Dark Dragon Clan.” Yogami proclaimed. 

Leo looked up at him. He saw this one wore dark green, different from the black ones around him. He started to push himself up onto his knees. “So what do you want from me?” 

“To take you and your miserable family out of the picture for good.” 

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Leo said and attacked Yogami. 

Yogami fought back with Karai’s speed, if not more. Getting Leo to change his direction towards a wall not far off, with one back flip and a good kick to the turtle’s chest, he went flying back into the wall, his shell hitting the wall, knocking the wind out of him. 

Leo was on his left side, coughing when the ninjas approached him again. He looked up and he heard a click. One of the ninjas now had a gun in his hands. He glared up at the ninjas angrily. If this was the end of him, he knew they would soon face the wrath of his family, but he would gladly let them take him instead of his family. 

The ninja fired the gun and the turtle was darted three times. Once in the arm, one in his thigh, and another in the neck. 

Leo felt the effects of the drugs take over rather quick. His vision faded and he fell onto the pavement, unconscious. 

“Check him over for anything that might let his family track him down.” Yogami ordered. He knew they kept phones on them. 

Two ninjas checked him over and one found the phone. “Smash it!” Yogami ordered. 

It was smashed and left on the rooftop, along with Leo’s swords. A big sized ninja came forward and picked up the unconscious turtle. 

They carried him back to their hideout, where they took him down to a basement and cuffed his wrists and neck. The neck chain was connected to the wrist cuffs. There wasn’t much space for him to be able to spread his arms far apart. His sword sheath and belt were also taken off, in case of him being able to use something in them to be able to pick the locks on his cuffs. 

As the ninjas looked down on the sleeping turtle, one of the men behind Yogami asked, “Boss, now that we have him, what are we going to do with him?” 

“We are going to torture him and make him wish he was dead before we kill him. We will also await his family too. I know they will try to find him, so be prepared.” Yogami warned. “For right now, leave him be.” He ordered, and he and his men left the basement to let the turtle wake up.


	19. Chapter 19

It was first thing in the morning and Splinter came out of his room, and he was seeing his sons walking around. They were up early this morning, he assumed. 

Raph and Mikey had finally finished their game and Don was tired too. They were all tired. 

“Good morning, my sons. Now that you have rested, we are going to practice lay ups and our toughest battle movements.” Splinter instructed. 

Don, Mike, and Raph’s mouth dropped. They were tired and were ready for bed. They weren’t ready for this. 

Splinter noticed one of his sons was missing. “Where is Leonardo?” he asked. 

“Leo told me he was going out, but that was hours ago.” Don said. “He might have come back and went to bed. But he would usually not miss training.” 

Raph went to check Leo’s room. He knocked. “Leo, you in there, bro? It’s time for training.” No answer. “Yo! Leo! Answer me, bro.” 

When he got no answer after a third time, he kicked the door open and it was seen that there was no one in the room. This was a concern. 

He went back to the others. “That’s weird. Leo ain’t in his room, Master Splinter.” Raph said. 

“That is odd, indeed.” Splinter said. 

“Leo wouldn’t miss training.” Mikey pointed out. “It’s practically his life.” 

“What if something happened to him?” Don said worriedly. “We still can’t forget like that run in he had with the Foot a few years ago.” 

“Calm down, Donatello. We will find him. He might be over at April or Casey’s too.” Splinter suggested. 

Don dialed April and Randall’s numbers and both answered with a no, that he wasn’t there with them. Raph dialed Casey and he said that Leo wasn’t with him either. He wasn’t with Leatherhead either. With those answers, Don went to the lab and picked up the tracker and located Leo’s phone, though the signal was nothing but static-like. 

His phone was in Midtown, but it wasn’t moving. From the time he had been out on his own when facing Karai for the first time, he had bunked topside before in a water tower, so maybe he was doing that? 

“If Leonardo hasn’t come home in many hours, you should go and see where the signal is.” Splinter suggested. 

“We will, Sensei.” Don replied, yawning suddenly. He went to go pick up his duffel bag when Splinter saw his sons seemed weary worn and looked more like they were about to collapse. 

“No, my sons. I see you have now been up all night, am I correct?” Splinter asked. 

“Yes.” Mikey said. “We were on the way to bed when you came out.” 

“You all will be on no good to Leonardo without rest. If he can make it up there during the day, you need to rest first.” Splinter said. 

“But his signal was all static, Father. He might be in trouble.” Don got frantic. 

“Well, if you think you can all stay awake, then go. Yes, that would present a concern.” Splinter said. 

With the thought that Leo was in trouble, enough adrenaline kicked into the remaining three’s systems to go topside and look for their lost leader. 

They got to Midtown and found Leo’s phone and swords were lying on a rooftop, without their owner anywhere nearby. This was concerning. They tried to find some evidence of who took him on and who took him. 

Don called Splinter back, “We found Leo’s phone and katanas, Sensei, but Leo is gone!” 

Splinter knew this was concerning. He would never leave his swords behind. “I will join you, my sons. Stay there.” he ordered. 

“What if he’s in real danger?” Mikey asked in a scared tone. He was worried for his eldest brother. 

“Leo’s a tough turtle, Mikey. He’ll make it.” Raph patted Mikey’s shell. 

“Let’s hope so.” Don said, concerned. “I want to be able to find him before something happens to him.” 

“And we will, Donny.” Raph said calmly. 

“I’m calling Randall. I wonder if he’ll be able to help us, aside from Splinter.” Don said. He took out his shell cell and dialed Randall’s phone. 

Randall had gotten woke up after the call about Leo. Then his phone rang again. It was Don.

“Yes?” Randall answered. 

“It’s me again, Don.” 

“And?” 

“We are in Midtown right now. Do you think you can help us track Leo down?” Don asked. 

“I can try. Where do I need to come?” Randall asked. 

Don proceeded to tell him the coordinates, and April would bring him.  
……………….

Leonardo woke up on a hard, cement floor. He was able to bring his hands to his head, but he saw they were in cuffs, and he saw a chain going upward, and he felt a collar device on his neck. He was a prisoner of his attackers! He just hoped this was all a bad dream. 

“Where am I?” Leo asked himself. He looked around and saw nothing but a barren room. 

He tried to get his hands out of the cuffs, and saw that his belt and harness was taken off of him. His pads were gone too, but he still had his mask on. There was nothing he could use to take the cuffs off with, and they were bolted securely to the wall. He decided conserving his energy was better. 

Without his phone, he couldn’t call the others for help, and they couldn’t track him down. This was always a problem. He didn’t know where he was, but he would find a way to get away. He had bruises all over his body from the fighting earlier, but he wouldn’t let that deter him. He didn’t have any broken bones that would keep him from getting away, at least not at the moment. Who knows what this enemy was going to do with him. 

Leo hoped his family was trying to search for him before something awful was done to him. He would show the enemy he wasn’t afraid, but in truth, he was afraid of his situation right now. He hoped they didn’t get his brothers too. 

Not long after he woke up, the door was heard being unlocked. Leo was sitting near the wall as he saw a man enter the basement, then two more followed. He knew they must be coming down to get him. He was the only thing down here anyone could want. 

“Hello, Turtle. Good to see you’re awake.” The man in front said. 

“What do you want?” Leo demanded. He got to his feet. 

“The boss has plans to do what he wishes to you. He just said to bring you to him.” 

“But not before this.” The one to the right of the one in front. He had something in his right hand, and it was a little remote control. He pressed a button. 

Electrical shock came from the neck shackle, making Leo cry out instantly, it was so sudden. It also made him fall to his knees, and then to his side. He was shocked until he was down completely. Leo couldn’t help that he screamed. 

When the button was released, Leo was left panting hard on the floor, his body in excruciating pain, his neck especially. 

“Just to take some fight out of ya, now get up!” The one in front ordered. 

Leo couldn’t get up on his own at the moment. 

“Get up!” 

Leo glared up at the humans. He didn’t move. 

The two in the back then went up and grabbed his arms. “We said, get up, you stupid turtle!” They pulled Leo to his feet. 

“Try kicking them, and I’ll shock you again.” 

The one ninja not holding Leo went up and unhooked the chain from the wall, and leading the way with his hands and neck still cuffed. He was led up the stairs. 

He was led down a hallway and to a room that looked like a surgical room. Leo didn’t want to be dissected. He began backing up, but was quickly subdued when he was shocked again. 

Leo was forced to the floor once again. Then he was picked up and carried to the table, where the cuffs were undone, but then, his hands were forced down onto the table and tied into shackles on the table. They were a little further away from his sides, but not eagle spread. His legs were also spread apart and tied down as well. 

Leo feared the worst. He was panting hard just trying to get his breath back. These ninjas were cowards. He really hoped they weren’t going to do what they could do since they had spread his legs apart, making him clamp his tail hard to his body. 

Once the men made sure the turtle was tied securely, they left him alone. 

Leo struggled in the clamps. He had to get free. But it was only a couple of minutes before the door opened and a man in green stepped into the room. Leo held still. 

“Hello again, Leonardo, is it?” The ninja asked. 

“What do you want?” Leo demanded. “And yes.” 

“I know you are the leader of the turtles. Getting you out of the picture will be sure to take your family down as a start. I know grief is a good motivator and a way to take others down. But, you should know, I am the leader of this band of ninjas. We are in no way associated with who you think is your ally. My band is now called the Dark Dragons. I am called Yogami.” The ninja explained. 

Leo struggled some more. 

“You won’t get loose. We made sure those were going to be secure before using them.” 

“My brothers will find me.” Leo said. 

“We’ll make sure to give your body back to your family, but not before I have some fun with you. Tell me, Leonardo, are you afraid?” Yogami asked. 

“No.” Leo replied firmly. He would never give the enemy that satisfaction. 

“You will be, Turtle. You will be.” 

Leo watched at the man went over to a wall, and he pressed a button, and out came a table from the wall. And then something up from the ceiling moved. Down came a spider-like device with dissection tools. 

Leo gulped. His breathing picked up. He began to struggle. He was familiar with those devices that he had seen with his first encounter with Bishop. 

“I think I’ll start with cutting that shell on your back, and then that golden shell.” Yogami grinned evilly. 

Leo gave him a glare. “You won’t get away with this!” 

Yogami smiled. “Let the fun begin.”  
…………….

April and Randall had joined Splinter and the turtles on the rooftop they had found Leo’s swords and phone on. 

There were signs of a struggle, and Splinter could smell some other scents were around his son’s. Randall was also hard at work using some other senses of his that he didn’t use that often. In this case, it was necessary to draw on them. Randall knew what Leo’s scent smelled like if he just used his nose normally, but this time, it was telling him to use a very special sense that the others didn’t have: his tongue. 

Randall flicked his tongue out of his mouth to smell the air around the scene better. The others were watching him do whatever he was doing. When he decoded it for himself, he smelled what seemed to be Foot soldiers. They had taken Leo! 

“Foot soldiers were here!” Randall growled. 

“I can smell Foot soldiers too.” Splinter said. 

“I can also smell drugs that they used. I can taste it in the air. I can also smell which way they went.” Randall said. 

“So can I.” The rat agreed. 

They both led the way, though Randall let Splinter go first, should they run into more soldiers. The turtles were surprised that Randall had a sense of smell that rivaled that of their father. April was with them too as they followed. 

They followed the scents across multiple rooftops and eventually ended down in an alley. Then the gasoline smell got to Splinter’s nose. As he was older, his senses also had its moments of not being as good when he was younger. But that was when Randall took over. 

Randall’s forked tongue was able to pick up some additional smells on the air. “It was a big truck that they loaded him into next.” 

“We woulda figured that out.” Raph said. “The trail ended here.” 

“So how are we going to find him now?” Mikey asked. 

“I can still taste the particles on my tongue.” Randall said. 

“You can?” April asked. 

“Yes.” 

“We have to try the Foot building to see if Karai has him hidden somewhere. I knew that bitch couldn’t be trusted!” Raph held up a fist. He was ready to pound her. 

They all went back to April’s van. Randall sat in the front with April. “Go back where we left off. I will have to analyze the scent carefully.” he said to her. 

“I already know it was the Foot!” Raph shouted. 

“Raph, let him do what he needs to do!” April yelled back at the red banded turtle. 

“His tongue seems to be picking up on things that I wasn’t aware of.” Splinter said. 

Randall smiled. He was lucky they were trusting him to do this. They were going to get the leader back if it was the last thing they ever did. Using Leo’s stuff, he was able to follow the scent in the air mixed with that of the truck, if slowly was how it seemed.  
……………..

Leonardo couldn’t help the scream that escaped his throat as his lower plastron was sawed into. He had tried so hard to not scream, but the pain had become too much as the saw dug in deeper. The shell on his back had a good-sized chunk missing out of his left shoulder area. Now it was focused on his stomach. 

It had dug deep into the plastron that was over his stomach. There were deep cuts across and square shaped. Yogami had seen that the saw had cut across the lines on the lowest part and up just below his chest scutes, before cutting down to the lower ones. He was wanting to make sure he had plenty of access to the internal organs. 

But then, before he felt he was going to raise the scutes out, Yogami thought of something else. He wanted this turtle really tortured and humiliated. He knew this turtle was young, and he wanted to take away a certain part of his young innocence. 

Leo was panting hard, tears in his eyes that couldn’t be helped because he was in pain. Then, he heard the man speak.

“I bet you’ve never been with a female before, have you?” 

Leo opened his eyes. “What?” 

“You’re so young and naïve. You aren’t even a real adult yet.” Yogami mocked him. 

“That’s none of your… business!” Leo cringed from a sharp, painful jolt. 

“Anyone who says that means it like it is.” Yogami said. Then he went and picked up something else. 

When Leo saw what the new device was, it made his eyes widen. It was a dildo. It made him try to close his thighs and clamped his tail down even more. Fear rose inside him. 

“No! NOOOO!” Leo screamed as the man touched his right thigh. 

Yogami pulled his legs apart more and requested help. The two ninjas came in to assist him and held Leo’s legs apart. Then, Yogami grabbed Leo’s tail. 

Leo threw himself against the bonds on the table. “NO! Don’t do this!” 

Yogami ignored him and proceeded to put the dildo into him. It made Leo freeze finally. He bared his teeth in pain. It hurt terribly! His abdominal muscles were so tight just trying to breathe, and from the pain of being cut into moments ago. His carapace hurt too in that shoulder area. 

Yogami began to scissor the dildo into him, slowly at first. 

Leo moaned in whimpers. “Stop, please!” 

But Leo’s cries of pain only encouraged Yogami, and he began to pick up the pace, hurting the turtle even more. He tried to find that bundle of nerves, and he felt he soon located them because the turtle began crying out louder than before. 

There was a little blood on the table from the scissoring. Leo soon cried out so loud when he felt he couldn’t take anymore. That was when Yogami pulled the dildo out of Leo. 

Leo had never felt such pain before. The pain made him pass out. 

Now, with the turtle out cold, Yogami proceeded to open the plastron to just see what it looked like on the inside of the stomach. If there was one thing he hoped, it would be a long recovery for this turtle, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. He was going to kill him following the torture. He was going to do what the Shredder had not done, kill the turtles’ leader! But he wanted him to endure some more pain first.  
……………

The turtles, April, Randall, and Splinter all went to a neutral location and split up. Raphael was so intent on insisting it was Karai who had taken him that he, Splinter, and Don were going to see Karai, to just keep Raph in check. 

April, Mikey, and Randall were going to go the other way, the way that Randall was pointing out. April had even called up Casey to have extra back up should they run into a lot of Foot soldiers. She went by to pick him up. 

Don had also called Leatherhead to be on standby when they found Leo if he was severely wounded when they got back with him. 

Raphael, Donatello, and Master Splinter ran along some rooftops and got back to the lair and got into the Battle Shell and headed towards the Foot Building, where they knew Karai lived. It was a bluish Japanese-like building since her father’s building had been destroyed, but with her father’s riches, she was paying to have it rebuilt for her own needs though. 

The mutants didn’t want to face the wrath of Karai’s army, though Raph would be happy to dish out punishments as he saw fit if they were messing with his brother, or any other member of his family, even extended members of the family. 

Splinter tied off a long piece of rope to a building that was across from the house. Then he shot an arrow across to Karai’s roof. They had their climbing shuko spikes or sucker pads ready in case they were needed to bypass Karai’s soldiers. Splinter, Don, and Raph slid down to the building and prepared to get inside. 

Donny checked the rooftop with his tech-tab to see what was the best way inside. They got down to a window, and he pulled the door to the circuit open and with some re-wiring, he turned the security off in that sector. 

“Security is down in this sector.” Don confirmed happily. 

“Good. Now let’s go get our brother!” Raph said angrily. 

“Raphael, you need to steady your temper. Leonardo told me she is our ally. Let’s not ruin this unless she really has him.” Splinter placed a hand on Raph’s shoulder. 

Raph took some deep breaths to try to get his temper under control. “If she does have him, I’m ready to kick her butt.” 

“We’ll be prepared, Raph. But we can’t go charging in there with our heads cut off. We are just going to talk to her to make sure, then if she does, we’ll crack heads.” Don said calmly. He was worried too, but he was keeping his cool. 

Once he was calmer, Raph used one of his sai to pry the window open, and the three of them got inside. They used their sucker pads to get onto the ceilings and went down some hallways. Splinter sniffed out Karai’s office area, where she turned out to be. 

Karai was waiting for a next meeting when she felt a presence in the room. “What brings you mutants by today?” She asked with a straight face. 

Don, Raph, and Splinter dropped from the ceiling. “Where’s our brother, Karai?!” Raph shouted before anyone could say anything. 

“I do not know what you are talking about.” Karai said. 

“Our brother, Leonardo. He’s missing.” Don said. 

“I do not have Leonardo. I have not seen him for a long time. I would know if he was here.” Karai said. 

Splinter tried to sense his son with his special sense of connection to his sons. He smelled in there too, and he didn’t sense his son at all. 

“We are sorry to have disturbed you, Ms. Karai, but we had to know as we didn’t know how to contact you.” Splinter said. 

“I am honor bound to keep my promises, Splinter-san. I will help search for him if that’s what you want.” She advised. 

“Would you?” Don asked. 

“Yes. I am always willing to help out allies in need.” Karai said. 

Raph still had his doubts about her. She was Foot after all. She had been raised by the Shredder. “Just don’t blow it with us, lady.” He growled at her. 

“You’ll have to forgive Raphael. He is just concerned for Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

“I understand.” Karai said. “I have a concern of my own too. Lately, some of my own soldiers have been turning up missing too. It’s like half of them are gone without a trace.” 

“Could they have split off on you for some reason?” Don asked. 

“When I took over my father’s company and job, there were many of them that didn’t like the way I did things differently to my father. It’s possible they split off from me, so if some ninjas do have Leonardo, just know that it was not my orders.” Karai stared sternly at Raph. 

“Do you have any idea where they are, Karai?” Splinter asked. 

“No, I do not. If I did, I would order them to stand down and get back here, and they would be facing big punishments.” She said. 

Then a ninja came into the room. He was shocked to see some of his old enemies back. He was ready to pull his sword when Karai stopped him. “What do you need?” She demanded. 

The ninja looked warily at the mutants. “Mistress Karai, there have been sightings of some other ninjas over in Brooklyn the last few nights. These might be the ones that disappeared on us.” 

“Check it out.” She ordered. 

“Yes, Mistress.” he gave his salute. “But what of these mutants?” 

“We are doing business.” Karai said. “Leave me.” 

He backed off. He wouldn’t dare cross his boss. 

“We will help you.” Karai said. 

Don and Splinter were pleased to hear this, but wouldn’t let their guard down. Raph was still a skeptic of her. 

Karai called her ninjas forth that they were going to Brooklyn to scope out some other ninjas to see if they were the missing group.  
…………..

April, Casey, and Mikey followed Randall’s directions that he felt was where to go that he was tracking on the wind. It seemed a little bit slower than usual because they had never done it this way before. 

When Casey was getting fed up, Randall was more than ready to take off on his own and figure this out. 

“Can’t you go any faster?!” Casey yelled. 

“I have to analyze the air the right way, and I can still feel it going east of here.” Randall pointed out. He was getting annoyed with Casey’s constant nagging. 

“We’re starting to head into Brooklyn. Are you sure, Randall?” April asked. 

“Yes. I can smell that truck going that way.” Randall replied firmly. 

“Alright. Casey, let him do what he needs to do.” April scolded her boyfriend. 

“Aw!” Casey whined. He sat back and crossed his arms angrily. 

“If you let me do my job, we’ll find Leo faster.” Randall said in an irritated voice. He went on tasting and smelling the air again out the window. It had to be done at street level, so this was how they were doing it. 

“I hope the others are making progress with Karai.” Mikey jumped in. “I hope she didn’t backtrack on us.” 

“Let’s hope not, Mikey.” 

April drove the van into Brooklyn, across the bridge from Manhattan. Then, Randall directed her as needed. They could only hope to find Leo in one piece when they found him. 

They went a little further northeast and did manage to spot some ninjas on a rooftop, heading east. 

“We should get out and follow them on the rooftops.” Mikey said. 

“Gotcha covered.” Randall said. 

“I’ll go too.” Casey said. 

“Only if you know how to be quiet.” Randall growled at the man. 

“Why you!” Casey was ready to fight him, but he would surely lose. 

“Guys! Stop this bickering. It won’t help Leo. Randall and Mikey, you tail them. Casey, you’re staying with me.” April ordered them. 

“Aww, April!” 

April stared hard at him. It made him not question her. 

Randall and Mikey gladly got out of the van and headed up to the rooftops, being silent and tailing the ninjas, to where they soon went into a warehouse. Mikey used his phone to call April to follow their signal. 

Mikey gave Randall an earpiece too that he slipped on in between his second and third fronds to put on his head. They got onto the building’s roof and looked down into a skylight. 

“Call the others, I think we have something here.” Randall said. 

April called Don, and he relayed the message. And it came up that there were some rogue ninjas missing from the Foot clan. These must be the missing ninjas. 

Karai ordered her ninjas to head there, just as Splinter, Don and Raph now were to assist them with back up. 

Randall and Mikey snuck through the skylight. Mikey had his sucker pads on and stayed beside Randall. This was the first time they were doing it like this. Mikey couldn’t help but snicker a little. 

“Shh!” Randall shushed him. Mikey nodded. 

They both followed some corridors and Randall picked up on Leo’s scent again. “I have Leo’s scent again. He’s here.” Randall said in a low voice. 

“We’ll be there soon, just find him.” Raph ordered. 

“Will do.” Mikey said. 

Mikey followed Randall since he was the one tracking the scent of his eldest brother. He hoped he wasn’t hurt, or worse. 

Randall soon found the room where it was strongest. “He’s in there!”

“You’re sure?” 

“Yes.” 

Mikey got down from the ceiling and Randall vanished for good measure. Randall switched to the earpiece like from his experience in the monster world; one on his chin and the piece in one of his ears. It was easier for him since he could vanish. Now they were going to get the lead turtle back.


	20. Chapter 20

The unconscious turtle was still lying on the table. Yogami decided to have some more fun with him. There was some blood from Leo’s plastron leaking down his sides, from his carapace, and the table. And there was blood in between his legs. 

Yogami went to pick up a hammer, which he intended to break some bones in his body too. But just as he was about to bring the hammer down onto Leo’s left arm, the door to the room burst open. 

Yogami turned around and saw the orange masked turtle. 

“Ah, the orange masked brother. I’ve been waiting to see how long for you and your family to show up.” Yogami smirked. 

“Let my brother go!” Mikey demanded angrily. He had his nunchukus ready. 

“Why would I want to do that when he is nothing but trouble?” It was rhetorical question. 

Mikey went on to charge and fight Yogami. It got him out of the room while Randall snuck in to free Leo. He got down to the floor and he was lucky he didn’t lose his lunch. 

Leo was in really bad shape with his plastron cut open and whatever was done lower. Randall had a suspicion what it had been and didn’t even want to think about it. He walked over and just put the plastron back in place the best he could. He got the shackles opened up on his wrists and ankles. His wrists were starting to show raw skin, showing he had struggled for a long time, trying to escape his torture. 

Randall called back on the line, “Donatello, when you get here, make sure you have lots of bandages ready for Leo. We found him, and he’s been hurt pretty badly.” 

“Alright.” Don said. Now they had every reason to hurry. He followed the signal. 

Randall then called spoke to April and told her that Leo was found here in this building. They needed help. They needed the first aid kit. 

Ninjas began to gather and fight against Mikey while he was fighting Yogami. Mikey tried to take them on the best he could, but he was beginning to get beaten himself. 

“Randall! I could use some back up out here!” Mikey called to his friend. 

“It’s coming!” Randall called. He couldn’t leave Leo. A ninja just came in and Randall fought him off, with being invisible and tripping him up. 

April and Casey pounded in a door and he went to Mikey’s aid. April got past a few ninjas and went looking for Randall and Leo. “Randall, where are you?!” 

“In here!” he called back. 

She followed his voice. She got into the room and found Leo lying on the table in a terrible shape. “Oh, Leo!” 

Randall appeared next to her. “I know. I think they raped him too.” he said sadly. 

Then there was a bang outside as a wall was exploded through and Raph, Don, and Splinter were finally here and they came out fighting very wildly. Don got through and he had the bandages they needed in his duffel bag. 

Karai and her Foot soldiers also came on the scene and began fighting alongside the mutants. It was all it took to make the rogue ninjas, the Dark Dragons, to succumb to surrender. Yogami as well. 

Donatello was shocked at the condition Leonardo was in. He and April began wrapping Leo’s middle. There wasn’t much they could do for the lower part. They also wrapped his carapace up where the piece was missing. Don and April would have to do an operation once they got home. Leatherhead was on standby, probably having him assist as well. 

Don and Raph carried Leo out to the Battle Shell and put him on the bed back there. Everyone else followed. April and Casey got back in her van. 

Splinter said that he was grateful to Karai for her help and she was an ally indeed. 

Don called LH to meet them at the lair. They were coming back with an injured Leo. Plus they needed epoxy glue and other medical supplies as well for an operation to hopefully save his life. Don also had blood banks for each of them, should they need it, and Leo was going to need some. 

Randall rode back with the turtles because he didn’t want to ride with Casey annoying him again. This was the first time he had used his sense of smell like this here in the city. But he had been honing these skills by Leo teaching him how to. Leo had tried to teach him to reach out with his senses, and he knew this had been one of those times where it paid off, to actually even help the one that taught him.   
……………

When they got home, Leo’s brothers carried him to the infirmary and laid him on the medical table. Leatherhead met them there and helped to get his supplies ready. Raph, Mikey, Splinter, Casey, and Randall all waited out in the living room while LH, Don, and April went to work to save the lead turtle. 

Don got Leo on an IV. April set about getting the oxygen on and ready. She also hooked him up to the heart monitor. She put a mask over Leo’s face so he could get proper oxygen. Don administered a sedative into the IV, then he went into the blood bank to get one of Leo’s stored blood bags. 

Leatherhead hooked Leo’s other arm for the blood transfusion he was going to get. Don hung the bag up, and it was hooked up to the blood bag. The blood began to flow into his arm. 

Leo’s heart had been a bit weaker due to blood loss, but as the blood was getting into his body, it started to perk up some more. It was a good sign. They were going to make sure his vital signs were stronger before they began any operation. 

Don came out and told them Leo was getting a blood transfusion before his operation because they wanted his vitals stronger first. If it was done now, he could die under the anesthesia. 

It was nerve racking waiting for a couple of hours and hearing nothing about what was going on. 

Once Leo’s vital signs were stronger, the blood donation was over, but it had worked. April went out and said that Leo was fine and they were now going to operate. 

“I hope nothing happens to him.” Raph said. 

“I’m sure Leonardo will be just fine, Raphael. He is a fighter.” Splinter put a hand on his shoulder. 

Everyone else was worried too. They just stayed quiet. Randall and Mikey were on the couch, with Klunk in Mikey’s lap. He petted his cat to try to stay calm. Waiting was always the enemy, but had to be done. 

Back in the infirmary, Leatherhead lifted the scutes that were in place to see what needed to be worked with. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he and Don did exploratory surgery. They must have gotten there before that maniac was going to finish off Leo. 

Don also examined Leo’s lower parts and there was some bruising and tearing from the rough handling down there. There was really nothing he could do about the missing piece of shell for the moment, though he would plan to make a cover up for it. Leo was going to be in pain when he came to for awhile. He would be on bed rest for the first several days following this operation. 

Once everything was deemed alright, they began sewing up tissues that could be sewn up, and put the scutes back in place while keeping bleeding in control. Using the epoxy glue and a special covering, it would keep the plastron in place while it healed. It would take a good many months for it to heal up. It could be four to six months, maybe a year even for it to heal completely. 

They all knew how Leo liked to train relentlessly. Training was his life after his family. But Don wouldn’t let him get back into training too soon to have his injuries reopened. 

Now Leo was left to sleep off his anesthesia. April, Don, and Leatherhead were relieved when it was over, but they knew that Leo still wasn’t out of the woods yet. He would be more likely to be fine once he woke up and showed he was going to be alright. And then, there were the concerns of what his mentality would be like. This had been a traumatic experience for him, and if he had been raped, it would likely have damaging effects left over on the leader. 

Donny went out to tell the others that it was over. When he came out of the infirmary, the others were standing there, worried. 

“How’s Leo, Donny?” Raph asked. 

“He’s stable for now. The blood transfusion helped him that we gave him. He’s going to sleep off the anesthesia. He should wake up in the next hour. But what I’m more concerned about is with what he went through, he might have some lasting mental trauma too.” Don explained. 

“What all did you find wrong with him?” Splinter asked. 

“He’s missing a piece of shell off his left shoulder. It’s deep. I’ll plan on making a cover for it. His plastron was just cut open. None of his organs were harmed yet, but I bet the man would have done something to him before long. But I also saw and found his anal area to be torn up a little too, indicating he was raped.” Don said. 

Randall cringed at that the most. He knew how traumatizing it could be, as it had once happened to him a real long time ago back in his own world. It had been done by big loser monsters who had always hated him. 

The rest of them weren’t too surprised that the ninjas had wanted to hurt their brother in the worst possible ways. They figured he was going to kill him, but then, maybe he was. 

“Can we see him?” Mikey asked. 

“Yes.” Don said. 

They all went into the infirmary to just see how he was doing. It had been a few hours since they last saw him. Leo was still on the table, sleeping. He looked peaceful at the moment. 

LH and Raph helped to move him to a cot in the room so he could be on a softer surface. 

“Now that we have seen him, and he looks good enough for now, my sons and friends, we should let him rest.” Splinter said. “Someone can stay with him.” 

“I will.” Randall said. 

“Alright, Randall. You can have the first watch.” Splinter said. The rat shooed everyone else out of the room. 

Randall got up on a cot next to Leo’s and got comfortable. He would be here for a little while. He saw that the heart monitor was beeping steadily. Leo’s breathing was stable. All the rest of his vitals still seemed strong. 

The lizard looked at the turtle sleeping and spoke, “I saw the blood of where you were raped, Leo. I know it wouldn’t be easy to talk about, but know this: I know what it’s like to happen to me too. If you ever do need someone to truly know, I do know.” Randall said sadly. “And it’s not something to get over real easy. It takes a long time to move on, even though you never forget it, as much as we’d like to. And I would like to thank you for teaching me to reach out with my other senses besides my vision. It was through that that I was able to help track you down from the ninjas.” 

Leo moaned in his sleep. Randall watched for signs of him waking up. 

After awhile, Randall couldn’t help the yawn that escaped him. He was tired, as he and all the others had been out all night looking for Leo, brought him back and operated on him to save him. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone else had gone to bed. 

Eventually, the fatigue got to be too much for him, and he laid down on the cot he was on. He reached his neck over and laid his head on Leo’s cot. His head was parallel to Leo’s left bicep. He did want to be close by when he woke up. 

It wasn’t long after Randall drifted off that Leo’s eyes began to flutter open. His vision was blurry at first, but he began to look around more. He looked to his right and noticed he was in the infirmary at home. His family must have found him. 

Then he moved his left arm, and he bumped Randall’s nose. He looked to his left, and saw Randall’s head next to him. The lizard had never been that close to him before. 

It was when Leo tried to move that there were issues. He tried to roll off the cot, but instantly felt stabbing pain in his stomach and in between his legs. He grunted in pain at the movement. His hands went to his belly. Then he remembered what happened to him. That was the most despicable thing that had ever happened to him! Leo also took off the mask that was over his nose and mouth. 

After hearing the moans and grunts of pain, it made Randall wake up to see Leonardo was awake now. He raised his head. He smiled that Leo was awake. 

“How you feeling?” Randall asked. 

“Sore.” Leo replied in a low voice. His throat was irritated from all the screaming he had done earlier. “The Foot ninjas-” 

“It’s alright, Leo. No need to talk. We took care of them, and Karai helped to bring them down. The ones who took you were rogue ninjas who had split off from her for some reason. They were not our allies.” Randall explained. 

Leo was glad to hear that Karai had not betrayed him.

“Thanks, Leo.” Randall said. 

Leo looked at the lizard curiously. “For what?” 

“For teaching me about my extra senses. I used my sense of smell with my tongue that I was able to find you.” 

“Welcome.” Leo said. He was awake, but ready to get some more rest yet. He ended up closing his eyes and going back to sleep. He would have a lot on his mind as he got stronger. 

Randall was still exhausted as well, and went to sleep more over on his own cot this time, but his head was still close to Leo’s. 

A little while later, after having gotten some sleep, Don came into the infirmary to check on his patient. He saw he was asleep. He also saw how close Randall was sleeping to him on the cot next to him. Don couldn’t help but smile. Randall was showing how affectionate he could really be with ones who trusted and respected him. And it showed how far he had come to know their ways. 

Don came over and woke Randall. Randall groaned. “Wake up, Randall.” 

“No.” Randall said, and moved his head away. He was tired. 

“Randall, you can go to your own bed and sleep. Now it’s my turn to take over for you.” Don said, still nudging his back. 

“Stay.” he mumbled. “Tired.” 

“Alright.” Don said. He would let him stay. He wasn’t hurting anything. 

Don took notes on all of Leo’s vitals. Everything was fine. He just wondered if Leo had ever woken up yet? 

“Leo woke once. Not long.” Randall said lowly. “Too tired to stay awake long.” Then he fell back into sleep. 

So Leo had awoken once. That answered that. “Did he say anything?” Don asked, but he got no reply for the time being. 

It was understandable. They all were tired after the long night of search and rescue. Don was still tired himself. He would sleep again when his watch was up, but he had gotten a few hours of sleep so he was refreshed for the moment. 

Don put a blanket on over Randall so he would stay warm while he rested. 

Leo soon came to once again within an hour and saw Don watching over him. He let out a big sigh of air, and Don saw him awake. “Leo, how are you feeling?” he asked. 

“Tired.” Leo responded lowly. “Thirsty.” 

“I’ll get you some water.” Don said and left to get some water for his injured bro. He returned quickly with a glass of water. 

He helped Leo to sit up enough to get the glass to his mouth. Leo winced at the pain coming from his stomach, but he managed to drink the precious liquid. It had been many hours since he had downed anything. 

Leo’s throat felt so scratchy, but the water helped to soothe it a lot more. He laid back down after drinking the water. “What… did you… find?” he asked. 

Don looked at him sadly. “Your carapace on your left shoulder is missing a good chunk of shell. I’ll have to make a cover for it. Your plastron is cut clear across, like a square shape. We had to glue it back together. There was no damage to your internal organs though. But you had also shown signs of being raped. Do you remember anything at all?” 

As Don had explained it, memories flashed back to Leo in a rush. Yes, he did remember. He nodded. “Everything you said, I remember. I really don’t want to talk about it. And, I don‘t want a cover for my shell.” 

“But it needs something to let it heal better.” Don replied, but Leo waved him off. “I don’t want it, Don.” 

Leo looked over at the other cot and saw Randall still asleep over there. 

“He helped to find you.” Don said. 

“I know everyone would try… to find me.” Leo said. 

“Yes, but Mikey and Randall got here first. Mikey fought off the ninjas while Randall got you loose when they found you.” Don exclaimed. 

Leo knew Randall was making a name for himself here. He would always be glad to have him around, like another brother. 

Don insisted he get some more sleep. He would need all the rest he could get in order to get well. Leo reluctantly went back to bed. Don would still try to make the cover for Leo in case he changed his mind.


	21. Chapter 21

The others all took turns watching over Leo as he rested in bed for the next several days. Mikey would make him some soup at first to just make sure his stomach could handle food at all, and nothing happened, so he started making his favorite foods again. Don also unhooked him from the IV and heart monitor once he was considered out of the critical care. Leatherhead went home after that. April and Casey left the lair as well.

Now that the drugs had worn out of his system at the end of the week since they had gotten him back, the others had noticed a new trait in Leo as well. 

He was grateful for the rescue, but after what was done to him, Leo had a new guilt to himself. He was moody a lot more. He just wanted to be left alone now that he was out of the danger zone. 

Leo barely wanted to eat at all, but he knew he needed to keep his strength up if he wanted to be back to training a lot sooner. And there would be no telling how long he would be wearing the cover on his plastron. It would come off on its own in its own time. He also made it clear he didn’t want a cover patch for his shell. He felt so ashamed that he felt it should be left out to the air since nothing more was revealed. 

Randall stayed in the lair to help out as needed. He didn’t speak of the rape, he was just there, and he was noticing Leo’s new behavior as well. It was almost like how he used to be himself. 

It was the middle of August right now. With Leo now out of danger, maybe getting him out of the city for awhile would be good for him. Splinter thought it up. He talked to April and Casey and said it was a good idea. It had been awhile since going to the farmhouse. 

Splinter spoke to Leo about going to the farm. Leo just gave a glum look and said, “Whatever.” He just had the look of he didn’t really care. 

Splinter felt bad for his son for what happened, but he didn’t need to feel bad about anything. None of what happened had been his fault. 

That weekend, the turtles and Splinter, two humans, and Randall all went to the farmhouse. It was a long, mostly quiet ride to the house. Leo had made the ride so dull. Mikey often tried to brighten the mood while Leo paid no one any attention unless he had to. When they got there, Leo was just glad to get away from his family and head inside. He knew they wouldn’t let him help with it, at least not much. 

Leo went upstairs and stared angrily out the bedroom window. After having been raped, he felt like his honor and dignity were gone. It had damaged his inner core. He couldn’t even train while he was this injured. It was mostly just his stomach that everyone was concerned about, that he wouldn’t tear it open again, as it was still fresh. 

The others hoped a little time away from the city would do them all some good, but especially Leo. They hoped he would come out of his funk.   
…………….

Over the next several weeks, Leo’s physical injuries did fine. He was careful to make sure to not bend his middle as much as possible, and the glue held his plastron together. But it was his mentality that still wasn’t doing very well. 

Leo mostly tried to avoid his family and friends as much as possible. He would go to the barn or the woods for walks to get away from them. He knew how to be sneaky. 

One day, well into the 7th week of Leo’s recovery, Randall caught sight of Leo leaving the house again, trying to sneak off. He secretly followed the lead turtle. 

Leonardo led him to a clearing in the middle of the woods, making sure to stay clear of the neighbor’s house for sure. It was a beautiful, serene place that even had a good sized pond. Leo didn’t go swimming of course, but he sat himself on the ground and tried to meditate first. When he found he couldn’t clear his head of his irrational thoughts, Leo got up and started yelling his lungs out before he fell in a heap, crying hysterically. 

Randall had stayed hiding among some thick bushes, silently watching. He had never seen Leo cry before. This was a place where the hurt turtle was more than willing to let his emotions go. He didn’t know how to help him. At the least, he had followed to make sure Leo was staying out of trouble, should he find any. 

It was a few hours before Leo calmed down enough to head back to the house. He knew his family would come looking for him eventually if he didn’t get back. Randall still kept his distance. 

When Leo made it back, Raph asked him where he was. “Just walking in the woods, Raph. Since I can’t train, that’s what I do for my exercise right now.” Leo said, and brushed him off. He went inside. 

Raphael was starting to get fed up with Leo’s rash behavior. Then he heard some more footsteps and turned to see a visible Randall walking out from the woods too. 

“Where have you been?” Raph demanded. 

“I followed Leonardo. Where else? I just wanted to know where it was he’s been sneaking off to every day. It’s a private place in the woods that lets him let go of what he’s holding in his mind.” Randall explained. 

“Does he try to train?” 

“No. Meditate and then let go of his control for awhile.” 

Raph could see the need for that, as Leo was still hurting mentally. 

The others all felt helpless to try to help Leo. They didn’t know how to. Sure, they had all had bad encounters from the ninjas before, but not like Leo had, on his last encounter.   
…………….

After another week, Don said that Leo was well enough to go without bandages. He was happy to hear it. But it would be a few more weeks before he was ready for full on training again. Leo could still go for walks and he could start smaller katas. Leo was desperate to start any kind of training again. 

Training kept his mind focused and sharp. It made him truly feel like a leader. It also let him release pent up tensions. 

Leo started wearing his katanas again. He was happy to be able to use them as he always had. It made him feel a little more self assured, especially when he went into the woods.

Master Splinter began to let him train beside his brothers, doing his own katas, but he wasn’t training exactly with them just yet. Don had told him he needed to wait at least a total of four months at the least before he would be allowed full on training again with his brothers. 

Splinter was agreeable to it. He did want his son to be happy too, as Leo just hadn’t expressed being much of a happy camper in the last several weeks, if ever barely cracking a smile. Not even at Mikey’s jokes. 

One day, Splinter did come up with an idea for his sons to go on another camping trip. Randall could go too if he wanted. At dinner, he told them about it. 

The boys were feeling a little antsy to do something fun. Randall was still a little more hesitant about camping trips. 

“Come with us, Randall.” Mikey pleaded. “Please?” 

“They just aren’t my favorite thing.” Randall said. 

“It would be a good idea to test some of your survival skills in the wilderness, just in case if you were to ever get lost out here.” Don advised. 

“You love competition. Think of this as a new challenge.” Raph said with a grin. 

“You should go and have some time to catch up with your brothers, Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

“Sure.” Leo said softly. He would gladly go to make sure his bros wouldn’t get into trouble. He still cared about them, and Leo was wanting to do something different too. 

Randall reluctantly agreed to go too. 

A few days later, with all they needed packed up, even Randall had a new backpack to hold his supplies, Casey drove the boys to a spot that was looking to be well hidden from other humans, and the guys would camp there. 

It would leave April, Casey, and Splinter to use the house for a few days. Splinter would stay out of his friends’ hair while they could spend time to themselves a little more. 

There was a good-sized lake where the reptiles were staying for the next couple of days. There was an old mill nearby. They had collected four logs to sit on and built a fire pit. Night had just fallen, their favorite time of day. A fire was started as well. 

“Let’s leave our stuff and go exploring.” Donny suggested. “We could look at that old building.” 

“Looks like it’s about to fall down from here.” Raph said. 

“Looks like an old steel mill.” Don could make out. “They don’t make them like that anymore. It was made at the turn of the century.” 

“That’s because it isn’t that time anymore.” Mikey added. “You coming, Leo?” 

Leo just stayed silent, fuming. 

“Ah, leave him. If he doesn’t want to play, he doesn’t wanna play.” Raph said. He and the others went to go explore the mill. 

Leo reluctantly left his seat on the log and went over to the mill and without going inside, as his brothers had done, he used a smaller side roof on the side to jump up to the roof and waited for them. 

Inside the mill, the turtles and Randall decided to race each other to the top. Mike and Randall came in so close together, but Mikey managed to get to a top hole first. 

“I win!” Mikey proclaimed, then looked to his right. “Hey.” Leo was standing on the edge of the building. 

Mikey climbed through the hole, followed by Randall and Don and Raph. “Looks like our silent partner decided to join us.” Raph said. 

Then something shot across the sky. A blue light. “Hey, look.” Mikey pointed. “A shooting star.” 

The others looked too. It was something to behold. It wasn’t something they got to see very often in the city, as the bright lights always blocked out the night sky, most of the time. The star passed and the guys went about their business. 

They all raced each other some more around the mill on the way down, even Randall. Leo was still being a strong grumpy, silent type. When they got to the bottom, they went back to the campsite. 

It was time to start getting some dinner, and they decided on fish. Raph and Don went to fish for dinner. 

Leo took out his swords and began another kata. Mikey made sure he had the proper cooking utensils. Randall just sat and watched the lead turtle practice. He knew he had something on his mind. 

Don and Raph caught five fish. They were biting good tonight. 

“Look what we got.” Raph displayed them proudly. 

“I’m cooking.” Mikey said. 

“I’ll help.” Randall said. It would give him something to do to earn his keep. 

Leo also did a part where he gutted the fish and Mike and Randall cooked the fish in three different frying pans. Randall was after all, able to use two frying pans with the double the hands he had. 

They all had earned their keep tonight for dinner. Then they sat down to talk and tell ghost stories. Randall wasn’t much for ghost stories that he knew of, but he knew what it was like to be scary. He even told tales of some his former glory days as a scarer to relate to the topic. 

It wasn’t too long after that that they all went to bed using the sleeping bags they had brought along. Randall preferred this way of camping, that he wasn’t alone here in the wilderness.   
…………..

Back at the house, Casey wanted to talk to Master Splinter about how to tell April he cared for her. 

“Uh, Master Splinter, you’re wise and all that. How do you tell someone that you got feelings for them?” Casey asked. 

Splinter had been trying to meditate and allowed him up. “I am not an expert in such matters. I would just think to be yourself and trust your instincts.” 

“Master Splinter, this is me we’re talking about.” Casey stated. 

“Hmm? Perhaps a large breakfast, served in bed. Some flowers. Many flowers.” 

“Great. Thanks, Splinter!” Casey thought about what he was going to do to surprise April. 

Splinter had a feeling Casey would need the flowers. But he had given his advice on like what he had seen from TV before. 

In the morning, Casey made some pancakes, if ever so messily. He also got some flowers and put them on the tray in a glass. The smoke alarm went off while he was cooking pancakes and they ended up blackened quite a bit more than he wanted them to be. He wasn’t good at making pancakes. 

Just as April was waking up, Casey knocked on her door and was going to wake her up, but saw she was awake. “Breakfast is ready.” he said. 

Casey handed April a tray of burnt pancakes on a tray with flowers as she saw. “I hope you like your pancakes a little crispy around the edges.” He said. 

April was surprised at this. This was nice of him. She found the food was not that good, but she made herself swallow it. “Hmm. Delicious.” She lied. Then she realized something. “Why are you being so nice? Did you take my car apart again?” 

“No, nothing like that.” Casey said fast. “But I gotta tell ya something, April.” 

“What?” She was listening. 

“You know how you have a car and you try to get it all perfect and something turns out that it ain’t?” Casey asked. 

“No, not really.” April replied. 

“Ugh! I had this all worked out. April, I care about you.” Casey said. Then he started babbling about until April placed two fingers on his mouth. 

“I care about you too, Casey.” She said. Then they hugged and kissed. 

Upstairs, Splinter could sense it was a good outcome. He smiled. “The flowers were a good idea.” He was happy for them.   
……………

In the morning, Mikey brought out some eggs and bacon that were in a cooler. And again, Randall helped to cook the food for five. 

They all had some breakfast and then did some training exercises. Leo began to really challenge his brothers to get up into trees and even at charging at them. 

“Leo, you really shouldn’t be doing that.” Don pointed out. 

“I’m fine, Don. Don’t worry about me.” Leo said firmly. 

They even went swimming in the lake. Leo didn’t join them this time, but Randall did. He could swim yes, just didn’t do it often. They dunked each other, splashed each other, went underwater and chased each other. It was all fun and games. 

Later on, there was more training. Leo began giving out orders on what he wanted them to do, even though he wasn’t to partake in their training yet. Randall was given weapons as well to be involved. This might have been something to help Leo reconnect with his brothers, but he didn’t see the fun part in it this time. In his mind, they needed to be ready for anything. 

They trained with their weapons, and Randall had been getting good with them. Tonfas were just his kind of weapons. He needed tough weapons when he didn’t use invisibility and heights to his advantage. Unlike the turtles, he didn’t exactly have a shell despite being reptilian-like. 

After weapons practice, they even did some more sensing practice. With their masks turned, one at a time, they each had a go at trying to sense where their brothers were. Randall was now considered one of the brothers too. Since he also didn’t wear a mask, when it came time for his turn, Randall was given a huge hanky to tie over his eyes. 

As Leo instructed, Randall could hear a change in Leo’s voice, just how mad he seemed to be. He used his sense of hearing and smell as well to sense Don, Mike, or Raph coming at him. There were a few hits received throughout the exercise, but nothing that was debilitating. 

Leo kept on pushing his brothers most of the day with training. Even in the water. 

By the time dinner rolled around, they were all ready for a break. Perhaps camping while Leo was like this was a bad idea. 

They had fish again that evening for dinner. This time, Mikey and Randall caught the fish. They also gutted them as they didn’t trust Leo or Don to cook. 

The next day was when Casey came and got them first thing in the morning. Right now, they were glad to be heading back. It was so boring out here at this point. 

They were glad to get back to the farmhouse. Mikey was glad to watch some TV again. Leo went to the barn to be alone. Don went to work on the van to make sure it would be working before they would leave to go back to the city in another week. Raph went and lifted some weights for awhile. 

Splinter was happy his sons and Randall were all back. They were safe and not injured. Randall had a few bruises from the harsh training the day before and needed a rest from it. Sure, they all did, but the lizard could get them a little more easily.


	22. Sons of the Silent Age

A few days later, Splinter suggested another camping trip upriver. Randall was still sore and instantly declined. He would stay behind with Splinter. The turtles and April and Casey were all going on this little rafting trip. 

Splinter still saw that Leonardo was still brooding. He still wasn’t happy, even after a so-called fun camping trip. He wished he knew what he could do to make him happy again. Maybe having their human friends along would make a difference this time. 

The next day, they all spent the day figuring out what they were going to take to reduce boredom and have to eat on the way up the river. Raph and Don and Casey all built their own special raft together that they were going to use. Don made sure that it was perfect. 

Randall wanted some time for himself and recover from the harsh training was why he was staying behind this time. One camping trip was enough for now. Splinter surely wouldn’t mind his company. He knew how to avoid the rat if he had to, but then, they could also spend some time together, just the two of them for a few days. 

Another day later, the raft was ready and so were all supplies. Splinter and Randall saw them off. They stood on the porch, watching the van pull out, pulling the raft with it. They waved goodbye for the time being. 

“Were you sure you didn’t want to go?” Splinter asked. 

“I need a break from Leo’s moods. The training orders he gave were just not like him, Splinter. Not what they used to be.” Randall replied. 

“I know. I just hope he finds a way to cope with what happened. I’m going to go meditate now.” Splinter said. He was so happy for a little more silence around here again. He loved being able to have peace and quiet when he could get it. Back home, he didn’t get much of it. 

Randall went to the living room and turned on the TV. He just wanted to take a break from all work and training for awhile. 

The others took the raft and supplies to the Connecticut River and put the raft in the water. It was the evening and the sun was setting. The van was parked in a secret location to hide it from being seen. Now for the fun to begin. 

Mikey and Don put the sleeping bags and other supplies on the new raft. They were currently standing on a bridge they had come to. Leo had sat down and was thinking a bit. 

“Let’s get this rafting trip underway like we said we was gonna.” Casey started getting feisty for the trip. He hung from a rafter and then he jumped down next to Leo. “Hey Leo, what up?” 

“Huh? Up the river, I guess.” Leo muttered in a low voice. He just seemed depressed.

“Uh, okay, Leo.” Casey was still surprised by Leo’s glum behavior. 

“Attention please, ladies and gentleman, and teenage mutant ninja turtles.” Mikey spoke in an announcer’s voice. “Last boarding call for the US Turtle Boarding Raft, this side of uh, Casey’s Grandma’s Farmhouse! Tickets please, tickets!” 

For the others, Mikey was just being a goofball again. April and Raph were also on the bridge, standing side by side. They had been throwing the lighter stuff down to Mike and Don. In that moment, Raph decided to have a little fun too. 

“Oh, I gotcha ticket right here!” Raph jumped off the bridge, turning himself into a cannonball as he landed in the water next to Mikey, making water rush up onto the raft. Everyone couldn’t help but laugh, except Leo. 

Soon after, they were all on board and going upriver. Casey was paddling. Don was at the head of the raft and starting tinkering with some chemicals and beakers he had brought. Mikey used his flashlight as it got dark to read his new comic. Raph was just sitting calmly on the other side. Leo sat on the end with his feet in the water, brooding. He didn’t know what he was looking at. 

April started talking how she loved nature and how it was, giving some wisdom in it. About Darwin’s survival of the fittest and such. 

Mikey wished Randall was here. Maybe he could have spiced things up too, but he had made his choice. Then he responded to April’s talk, “Gee, April. You make it all sound so… creepy.” 

Suddenly, there was a noise. It made them tense up. Then a bird flew over their heads. It might have been spooked by them. 

Casey laughed, “It’s just a barn owl. Nothing to be scared of.” He continued paddling. 

Then April whispered to Don, “Sometimes, Casey can be so cool, like now. Focused and grown up, mature even.” Then Casey let out a loud belch. 

Don had given her a weird look. He always knew Casey was weird. “You were saying?” he said. 

On the back, Leo still felt inferior about his incident and didn’t take notice of what was under the water. Something alien-like that wasn’t a fish. 

After a little more going up the river in silence, April had just risen from relaxation and saw something worrisome. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t know we lived so close to one of these.” It was a nuclear power plant. 

“I read in the local newspaper that they’re shutting this place down.” Casey said. 

“Finally. Someone’s finally come to their senses.” April agreed. 

“Aw yes, nuclear power plants.” Don explained. “They once heralded the future of energy. They’ve become the Purple Dragons of energy production. Harder to clean up after, and even harder to get rid of.” He also noticed that the two towers had been rigged for demolition. “This is one plant no one has to worry about anymore.” 

Then Casey spoke back to Leo, “Hey, Leo, help me out up here, bro. Up here on the left, is that the way to Oxfo Lake that Splinter told us about?” 

Leo barely took notice, but he heard him, and turned. “Yeah, that should be the way to Norwatocogi.” Leo replied. 

“Norwati- what?” Mikey couldn’t pronounce it. 

“Norwatocogi.” Don corrected him. “It’s what the Indians that used to live here called the lake. It means “Lake of the Lost Tribe.” 

Soon, they arrived at a good location to get off the raft and finally camp. They all got off and took their supplies ashore. They set up four tents and got a fire going. Then they sat down and starting talking and even started telling jokes and riddles. Leo was the only one who didn’t join them. 

Leo stood closer to the water, just staring at nothing really. 

After laughing at a joke that Mikey had told, April noticed Leo standing over there. She got up and went over to him. “Leo? Are you okay? I noticed something’s been bothering you.” 

“Yeah.” Leo responded to her. “I just can’t help but think if I could have done something different to avoid the mess I was in with those ninjas, the one in particular who was torturing me. To avoid getting caught at all. It just makes me feel like a failure that I couldn‘t fight them off. And I couldn‘t defend myself from what was done to me.” 

April felt for him. She didn’t know what to say, but then, there was something coming out of the water. “April, look.” Leo said, and she looked at what he saw. 

It was a fish woman. She had some red spots on her skin. 

“Uh, this is new. Guys.” April began to get nervous. 

Don, Raph, Mike, and Casey all looked over too at what Leo and April were seeing. They got up and watched this creature. 

The woman didn’t get far from the water before she collapsed. Leo and April were closest to her. “And she’s hurt. Quick, someone help me turn her over.” April said. Leo got down and helped turn the mer-woman over. 

“Mikey, get my tech tab and the first aid kit, in my backpack.” Don ordered. 

“Sir, yes sir.” Mikey replied and hurried to get them. He brought them back real fast and Don began scanning the marks on the woman’s body. The results were alarming. 

“She’s covered in burns. Radiation burns. She’s been exposed to a massive dose of radiation.” Don said. 

“So what is she? Some kind of fish?” Raph asked. 

“She doesn’t have gills.” April checked for a pulse. “She stopped breathing. I can’t find a pulse. Casey, help me out. I’ll make sure that her airway is clear and begin mouth to mouth.” she said as she was preparing to do CPR on the woman to try to save her. 

But before they could begin, four more fish creatures appeared from the water. 

“Uh, guys. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are even more fish people.” Mikey said in a scared tone. 

“It must look like we’re hurting her. Guys, keep them busy. We need more time to save her.” April explained. 

The fish men approached threateningly towards them. The turtles went to face them and got dragged into the water. 

As April made eye contact with the fish woman, she was lulled into a trance, something taking hold of her mind. She began telling the story of the woman and a few survivors from the island of the Y’Lyntians, or Atlantis. 

It was so creepy how April seemed zoned way out to Casey as he listened to the story. 

Below the water’s surface, the turtles faced off against the mermen. 

Soon, it looked like the story was over for April. Casey tried to snap her out of it. “April, snap of it!” But the woman wasn’t done yet. She had to finish telling her story. 

April listened some more and there was so much touching stuff in it before she finally came out of it, as the woman had now died. She had wanted to make sure someone heard her first. To maybe save her children from the power plant. 

Below the surface, just as things were looking not so good for the turtles, the mermen suddenly stopped fighting and rose to the surface. The turtles followed them. They needed air. 

The four mermen came ashore, making April and Casey back away from the woman, and the mermen collected her. One closed her eyes and the four of them carried her back to the water just as the turtles were walking around them back on land. The mermen pushed the woman out to the water in a watery grave. The mermen then went on their way. 

The turtles and humans were sad that they couldn’t save the merwoman. But then, April snapped back to what the woman had shown her. 

“Wait! The woman’s burns, they were from radiation. The eggs, Casey. She was trying to save the eggs.” 

“What eggs, April?” Casey asked, not knowing what she was talking about. 

“The merwoman’s eggs. Her babies. She was trying to save her eggs. She must have laid her last eggs close to the power plant. She showed me so much. It’s so hard to take in, but I think she was trying to tell me that there is still some leaking going on up there at the plant. We have to save her eggs.” April explained. 

This was now a rescue mission. 

They all got on the raft and went back upriver to the power plant to check it out. They didn’t know where the merwoman’s eggs were, but April most of all, was determined to save them. But then, the guys were determined too. If they could make a difference, they would do it. 

They got to the power plant where they saw that a tower was leaking radiation into the water. They had to make a new dyke to keep it from leaking anymore into the river where the eggs were somewhere. 

Don went in alone, to rewire one of the towers to collapse and make a new dyke. The others had to make a diversion. Raph set an alarm off that would keep the workers busy while Don rigged the explosion. 

But on his way out, he fell on a banana peel and dropped his phone, and he got discovered by one of the workers. “Who are you?” The man asked. 

“Uh, just a little guy in a Greenpeace costume.” Don replied. 

“Greenpeace huh? That’s all I need to know.” The man said angrily as he tried to attack Don and the turtle drew his bo. He struck the man in the wrist and elbow to just keep him from attacking him. 

“Look, big guy, we don’t have time for this. Please accept my apology.” Don said. 

“For what?” 

“This.” Don said, and tripped the man’s legs out from under him. It knocked him unconscious for the moment. Don tried to hurry and get the man away from the towers before they were due to explode. 

April tried calling Don, but he wasn’t answering. “Something’s wrong. Don’s not picking up.” she said. 

Leo knew someone had to go in and get his brother. He wouldn’t let him get hurt if he had anything to do with it. He went in voluntarily. 

Don was trying to get the man away from the towers by carrying him, but he was just so big and heavy for him alone. He fell under the weight. Leo then found him. “Come on.” Leo said and gave Don a hand in getting the man out and over the fence. 

Just then, the towers exploded and they fell over into the water, making a new dyke. The man was placed on the ground and the rescue group ran into the woods. 

It was sunrise right now, and the rescued man was just coming to when an inspector came up and examined the area. He saw it was really horrendous conditions on the other side of the plant. 

The inspector assured the man that whoever had dropped the towers had saved lots of lives. That was all the worker man needed to hear that he didn’t need to press charges, not that he could anyway. 

The turtles, April and Casey were on their way back up to their camping spot to still have a good time while they could now that the important mission was over for the time being. They would never know for sure if they had saved the last mer-people of Atlantis. But the eggs did hatch and swam upriver, to whatever their fates would be. At least they were safe and alive. 

They went back and roasted some smores and told some more tales and jokes while having some dinner. Leo sat with them for the food, but didn’t join in on the fun. The others wished he would try to perk up some more, like how he used to be.  
…………….

While the others were gone, Splinter and Randall did their own things alone, as well as did spend some time together. They did some meditation sessions together and told stories of their pasts some more. At least now, Splinter didn’t hold anything against Randall. 

The others were gone for three days. When they returned, they sure had a story to tell them about what they had missed upriver. They had dealt with mer-people from Y’Lyntintis/Atlantis and blown up some towers to keep radiation from contaminating the river, and even saving baby mer-people. 

Leonardo was still moping around, but he was happy to have helped Don and the others to make sure they hadn’t gotten hurt in the little adventure. Now that he was healed, he was more than ready to get back to the city. 

Splinter was glad his sons and human friends had returned all safe and sound, and the adventure did sound exciting. He was proud of them for standing up for what was right. Humans and animals alike depended on clean water to drink and live in for some. Contaminated water could harm even them. Back in the city, with the way they lived in the sewers, it was amazing they had clean water at all to drink. 

Randall knew he had missed a grand adventure, but he had needed a break from Leo’s brooding behavior. He knew that when they went back to the city that at least he would have the luxury of April’s basement, but not the turtles or Splinter. But they all needed to still let Leo know they were there for him. They still cared about him, they just wished he would move on from what happened a little. To at least be like he was, at least to where he wasn’t mad all the time. 

But it would take time to get past what had happened to him.


	23. Dragon's Brew/I, Monster

A few days later, they all packed up again and moved back to the city. Everyone was so happy to be home. 

April had been concerned about her shop, of burglars breaking in and taking things while she had been gone. But then, that’s why she had put away the most valuable items from being seen in the window while she had been gone, to try to diffuse burglars a bit more since those greedy thugs were more after money and jewelry things. Her shop was in tip top condition and no damages. 

Randall was glad to get back to his home in the basement. Everything was as he left it. Now he could be away from Leo’s grumpiness a lot more, but he would still be there as needed. 

The turtles and Splinter were glad to be home again. Aside from Leo’s injuries that had made them go up to the farmhouse, it had been nice to get away from the noises and pollution, and fighting here in the city. 

Casey was also glad to go back to his apartment too. He even needed time away from his friends too, even as much as he loved them as adopted brothers and father. 

It was about two weeks later that Leo came to Casey’s apartment and asked him if he wanted to take down some thugs, because of so many news reports of thefts going on that seemed out of the ordinary. Only to find out that it was none other than the Purple Dragons themselves. 

The Dragons had been wanting high tech weapons aboard a train shipment this night, and even got a good surprise from some spider-like mutant creature that had secretly been on the shipment that had belonged to Agent Bishop, and Bishop had been seen that night trying to recapture his creature. 

Bishop did want to capture Leonardo, but he never succeeded. His creature was more important to recapture. He had been told by the President himself that his funding was about to be stopped, especially if there was an incident involving any of his creatures. 

The creature did almost remind Leo of the boss that he had met in Randall’s world, Waternoose. Leo had eluded Bishop this night and he returned home after the fight with some bruises, but otherwise, he was just fine. His brothers and father were glad that he had gone out to let off some steam and he hadn’t gone alone, at least to fight the Purple Dragons. 

The Purple Dragons may not have been led by Hun anymore, but Dragon Face was wanting his gang to move up in the world as being thought of as more than mere street thugs. He was wanting them to have higher power in the city. 

Casey had been real happy to help Leo take on the Purple Dragons. Aside from Hun, their group had done nothing but cause trouble in all the years since they had invented their name. He wanted that no good gang to be stopped at all costs. Casey wouldn’t stand by and let innocents get hurt, and that’s why he went with the turtles so well, even if he had some boneheaded moves sometimes. 

Don later told the story to Randall, and hearing about the spider mutant instantly made him have a flashback of his former boss. It almost sounded like that Bishop wanted to create monsters for himself to study and torture. 

Little had they known that the spider mutant had once been an ordinary human man, a navy seal. He had been happily married with a wife and son, and he had just wanted so desperately to get back to them. Bishop had been a friend to him, or so he had thought, and he had betrayed him. At least he had made sure the evil Bishop wasn’t going to get him back.  
…………….

A few days later after the incident with the Purple Dragons and the spider mutant, Casey came by the lair after he had worked all day and was ready to hang out with his friends. He had a special place in mind to take and show them. 

Leo thought of it more as an opportunity to get out and see if it was worth training at. He had been training when Casey had come down to the lair and interrupted him. 

Casey managed to talk even Leo into going to the special place that he remembered going to as a kid after school. 

Randall had been there with Mikey, playing some video games. He was all in for seeing this place too, as he wanted to see another place close to, but outside the city that would be kind enough to him and his friends where they could walk about and do what they wished. Little did he know it was going to be anything but that. 

Once everyone had their weapons, Randall included, they all piled into the Battle Shell and Don drove them out to where Casey told them to go. When they got there, it was something to behold at first glance. It had a few buildings that had long ago been abandoned. 

“So, what do you guys think?” Casey asked.

“Wow. I didn’t think there were any burgs like this around here anymore.” Don was amazed at how it looked. 

“Let’s get training. We’re losing daylight.” Leo ordered firmly. 

“Yes Sir, Master Leo.” Raph mocked him. 

“I know I’m ready to play this game.” Mikey laughed. Randall smirked. He was always ready for a game of anything. 

“So, what is this screwy game called again?” Casey asked. 

“It’s called Stealth Hunter. Yours truly is a stealth master.” Mikey said happily. “And I am the Battle Nexus Champion!” 

“Imagine ‘Capture the Flag,’ but doing it ninja style.” Don explained simply. “Mikey will be wearing a bandana that we have to take from him. So far, none of us has ever been able to hold onto it for more than fifteen minutes.” 

Mikey grabbed the pale yellow bandana and ran off laughing. “Hey!” Raph yelped. 

“You guys gotta catch me now!” Mikey laughed. 

His brothers let him get a 30 second head start. “Anyone want to leave the Battle Nexus Champion to play here by himself?” Raph asked. 

“And miss a chance to tag Mikey? You gotta be kiddin.’” Casey held his bat in his hand, smiling. He wanted to nail Mikey good just as his brothers did. 

“You understand what we are going to do, right, Randall?” Raph asked. 

“Oh yeah.” Randall got a sly grin on his face. He rubbed his hands together. He was so looking forward to this. He just loved playing games when he was in the mood for it, and right now was one of those times. And from the look of this place, they had time to do it and without being seen. 

Little did they know that they were being watched from a distance. A creepy, mummy- like figure. He had his own ideas about these trespassers. After the last encounter, which was at Bishop’s lab when he had kidnapped Splinter over a year ago, when the explosions started and destroyed the lab, it had made the tube get lost in the sewers and it washed him downstream to here, this usual empty place. He only had rats for company. 

As this mummy man eyed the visitors, he had a hungry look in his eye. A desire for revenge for invading his home. This once called the Slayer was now the Rat King. 

Mikey was running good around the place, hoping he could keep ahead of his bros. They would have started chasing him down by now. 

The others all split up to go look for Mikey. It would have been the easiest for Randall to find Mikey with his newfound sense of smell, the same way he had found Leo when he needed rescuing. But before they had split up, Leo told him that he needed to try to find him the regular way first. He was trying to keep it fair for everyone. 

Randall did as he was told. He tried to find his crazy friend with his usual vision at the moment. He would save his scent tracker version of finding if it called for it. 

Everyone ran around the area, looking for Mikey, to take his bandana. They began to split up. Raph didn’t want to look for Casey too if he got lost. 

Mikey was running ahead of them, saying things in a goofy manner. He was also secretly being watched and followed. 

Leo wasn’t the most happiest to be doing this. 

Raph was very impatient with his little brother. He began to feel a presence behind him, and just when he thought he had Mikey, he grabbed at nothing but thin air. “Keep messing around, Mikey, and I might have to start playing rough!” Raph growled. 

Mikey had found a hiding place close to a door. Then, the door slammed open, hard and had made an indent in the wall. He was glad he wasn’t right there. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are.” Casey said. 

Mikey giggled a bit and started sneaking out the door. In a low whispery voice, Mikey joked, “You don’t know the power of the dark side, Casey Jones.” he quoted from the Star Wars movies. Then he stepped on a creaky part of the floor. 

Casey heard that creak and he turned, seeing Mikey behind him. “Hey!” 

“Eep!” Mikey said and ran, trying to avoid being tagged. 

“Get back here!” Casey chased Mikey. 

Mikey got outside and then jumped to the second level. When Casey got out there, he didn’t see Mikey anywhere. “I know that was you, Mikey. Michelangelo! Weasly turtle.” He complained. 

Leo was a little ways over from Casey, seeing him come out, but Leo was also seeing something else. Something that wasn’t Mikey. He glared angrily. He charged up to that floor after getting a jump up from a broken brick wall. He broke through the window and pulled his katanas. Don appeared and the shadowy figure had vanished. 

“Take it easy on the windows, Leo. It’s just an exercise.” Don said. 

“I thought I saw something. Something that wasn’t Michelangelo.” Leo growled. “It was just right here.” 

Then they both heard Raphael’s voice outside. “Oh, that is the worst hiding spot ever.” Don and Leo left the spot and went to go investigate what Raph had found. Casey and Randall had heard him as well and came over as well. 

There were some bricks wiggling, like there was something underneath it. “Come out now, Mikey.” Raph said. 

“That is just sad.” Casey said. 

“And unsanitary.” Don added. 

“And I didn’t even use my sense of smell to find you.” Randall said. 

“Game over, Mikey, come on out.” Raph said, and he gave a kick to the bricks. It made a whole bunch of rats come out from underneath them, making Casey and Randall flinch out of the way. 

They all saw that it was rats and not Mikey under there, which meant that Mikey was still off somewhere trying to hide and stay ahead of them. 

“I think we found your ghost, Leo.” Don said. 

“Maybe.” Leo said reluctantly. 

“He’s still somewhere else then.” Randall said. 

“Keep looking.” Leo ordered. 

They all went in search of him again. 

Meanwhile, Mikey had just come into another building trying to hide. He was panting a bit. “Okay, so they’re getting closer. No biggie. The record’s still at least fifteen minutes.” He said as he checked his shell cell to see how long it had been, and he was surprised at how such a short time it had been since he started. “Three and a half.” he moaned. 

He began running again and as he was distracted, something in a shadowy form ran in front of him super fast, making him stop. He looked around. 

“Leo? Raph? You guys know I’m supposed to be the shadow hunter here right? Guys?” Mikey asked nervously. He still sensed a presence. He took out his nunchukus. “Anyone there?” 

He heard what sounded like a piece of board moving, and after he had asked the question, he didn’t hear the form drop behind him in time, and he was hit hard on the back on his head, making him drop his weapons and go down, unconscious. 

The Rat King carried Mikey to his warehouse area and he put the turtle on a board with shackles on it. He tied Mikey’s arms and legs down and waited for him to wake up. 

It didn’t take Mikey to come to long after that. His vision was blurry when he first opened his eyes, but he could see someone standing in front of him. It looked like a giant mummy man. 

He jumped a little, making him say, “Who the shell are you?” 

The mummy man just let out an evil laugh. Mikey laughed a little along with him. “No. Seriously, dude.” 

The Rat King didn’t say anything, but he plunged his fingers into the board instead, trying to get a scare out of his hostage. Then rats starting appearing all over the place. 

If this guy was trying to scare him, it was working. Mikey was worried about what was going to happen. Then the man took his fingers out and began walking away. Just as he was out of the room, Mikey wanted to know what would happen next. “Um, creepy psycho guy…” 

The rats continued to gather. 

Raph, Don, Leo, Casey and Randall all came to a stop. They had split up to find him once again. 

“Anything?” Raph asked. 

“Nothing.” Leo replied. 

“I almost had him!” Casey said. 

“Nothing either.” Don said too. 

“I could find him.” Randall said. 

“We know you could. We just wanted this to be a fair game, Randall. If it comes down to it, then you can use it.” Don said. 

“You wanna bet that he cheated? Probably back in the Battle Shell playing vid games right now.” Casey proclaimed. 

“It’s not right!” Leo shouted. 

“Take it easy, Master Leo. Casey’s just joking.” Raph said. 

“Not that. We’re being followed.” Leo exclaimed. He had sensed it. 

Randall tasted the air. “Yes, come to think of it, we are.” 

Then there was a growl in the air. “Mikey?” Casey asked in apprehension. 

A loud, evil laugh sounded out. “That ain’t Mikey.” Raph cleared that up, though they all knew Mikey’s voice well. 

“But who is it?” Don asked. 

“The voice sounds familiar.” Leo said. 

Then, a mummy man jumped down in front of them, surprising them all. He laughed in their faces a bit, then began to run. 

“Don’t let him get away!” Leo demanded, and they all gave chase.  
……………

Back in the warehouse, the rats were hungrily approaching the bound turtle. 

“Focus, Mikey, focus. Block out the rats. The hungry, turtle eating rats.” he couldn’t help but cry out in fear. He began to struggle. He couldn’t break the ones on his wrists, but his ankle shackles broke. It set him free enough to move. 

Rats dropped down onto the board. 

“So, you wanna go for a ride, do ya? We’ll see about that. Everyone, off the Mikey train!” Mikey ran backwards into a wall, making the board shatter and his bonds on his wrists break. He was free. But the rats kept coming. They jumped onto his shoulders. “Get offa me!”  
…………..

The Rat King continued to lead the others somewhere. They kept on giving chase. 

“He’s baiting us!” Leo pointed out. 

Don was beside him, adding, “Like rats in a maze.” 

Raph was catching up and starting to pass his two brothers. “Yeah, well, I ain’t no lab rat.” 

The man got to a fire escape and started to climb. Raph got to it first. He climbed up first. The others got there and followed, though Randall took to the wall with his gecko-like fingers and toes. 

Raph up top first and saw the mummy man waiting for him. Randall came up behind him, joined by the others. Then the man took to smaller shed on top of it and Raph threw his sais at him, hoping to catch him. But then he jumped off the building, doing a spinning motion. 

“Whoa. Should he be able to do that?” Casey asked. 

“By all human measures, no.” Don replied. 

Raph went and got his sais out of the shed. “Not making me feel any better, bro.” 

They continued to follow the maniac. They all jumped down to the ground, Randall climbing down the wall a ways then jumping down. They waited for him. But down on the ground, they didn’t see the maniac anywhere. 

“We lost him.” Raph said. 

Then there was a yelling roar from the creature man. He was just ahead in a big silo-like building. He went into it, just menacing the guys to follow him some more. 

Leo took the bait and ran in first. Then the others heard Mikey’s voice, making them stop. “Get them off!” Then Mikey burst out of a basement. “Get ‘em offa me!”

He came over to his brothers and friends. “Mikey!” They all said happily to see him. Raph looked back at Leo, who was still going into the silo. “Hey, Leo! We found- aw shell.” 

There was more evil laughing and the others went in too to make sure Leo wasn’t going to be in any trouble. When they got into the silo, they all looked up at the maniac, who was standing on the top of the place, looking down on them. He kept on laughing evilly. 

“Not him again.” Mikey said. 

“Again?” Don questioned him. 

“That’s the freakwad who tied me up and tried to feed me to the rats.” Mikey explained. 

The Rat King then pulled a rope and the doors closed behind his hostages. 

There were multiple holes in the walls and eyes were beginning to appear, along with the chittering of rats. Then they started coming out of the holes, looking hungrily at their prey. 

“They’re only rats. How bad can this be?” Casey asked. 

“Uh, Casey.” Mikey whimpered in fear and pointed down to the ground, where some bones lay. That made them all realize these were no ordinary rats they were dealing with. Rats didn’t normally attack humans and turtles, and lizards. 

“Let’s try the door.” Raph said. He and Mikey tried to open the door, and it wouldn’t open. “It’s a no go.” Mikey said. 

“Get away from the walls.” Leo ordered. 

The rats began to crawl at them in great numbers. 

They all took out their weapons, preparing to defend themselves. The rats attacked. 

“Ugly little suckers, ain’t ya?” Raph said to the ones in his sais. 

“Nice rodents. Did I mention my sensei is a rat? Any relatives with us today?” Mikey tried to ask, but none responded to him, only tried to make a meal of him. 

They all began to hit the rats away, or slice them away. 

“There must be hundreds. We’ll never be able to take them out at this rate.” Don assumed. 

“We don’t have to! We just have to show them we’re not a meal that’s worth the trouble!” Leo shouted, and sliced viciously at the ground, making the rats back off. 

“Turtle is off the menu!” Raph kicked one on the way out as the rats began to go back into the walls. They were all a little relieved for the moment when the rats were gone, but then, the man up above shouted, “NOOOOO!” 

They all looked up. 

The Rat King wasn’t going to let this go so easily. He jumped down in front of them. 

The group of friends took battle stances. Leo charged him first. The man grabbed his wrists and flipped him onto his stomach. 

“Goongala!” Casey called out before the Rat King grabbed a hold of him while Raph charged next, which got him a good hard kick in the stomach. The Rat King picked up Casey and threw him into Don and Mikey. 

Randall tried next since he was the only one standing. He had his tonfas ready. He was ready to strike him in the head, but the creature man jumped to the wall real fast, avoiding the lizard. Randall growled up at him. 

The man jumped down again, behind Randall, and Leo took a swipe at his feet, hoping to knock him down. Randall turned and tried to swipe at him too, but he punched the lizard in the ribs, knocking him over. 

The others were regaining their feet. “What’s the deal with this freak?” Casey demanded. 

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve seen these moves before.” Leo answered. 

Randall got up again and joined his friends. Then the man jumped down again and started fighting again. He got them all down. Then the rats started coming back in. 

Raphael looked overhead and saw a large crack in the wall. “The rats are coming back in!” Leo shouted. 

“Then it’s time we busted out!” Raph agreed. He charged angrily. 

Mikey looked up in time and saw his hotheaded brother charging what he thought was him, but he got out of the way and Raph broke through the wall instead. Then they started to clean the dust off of himself. 

Mikey came out first, with the others right behind him. “Good going, bro. I always said you were as thick as a brick.” 

Raph growled. “What happened to Ugly?” 

The Rat King glared down on them again, and laughed some more. Then he jumped across the building. 

“When is this idiot going to give us a break?” Randall asked. He rubbed his lower ribs where he had been kicked. 

“He has some sweet moves.” Mikey pointed out. 

“I’ve had enough of this madness!” Leo said angrily, and he threw some shurikens up at the maniac above them. 

The Rat King deflected them away, but one of them landed on the building, making it crack and he lost his footing, making him fall through the roof since the building’s support was long gone. 

They all heard a crash below. Leo started walking away. “It’s over.” But there was a crash through the wall. Leo turned to face him. 

The mummy man just stood there. He had a shuriken on his right shoulder. 

Leo took out his katanas, ready for a fight. 

The man noticed the shuriken on his shoulder and took it off, examining it. He began to have flashbacks of some short memories, none of them pleasant. Of his creation and beatings. 

Leo finally had to make the first move since his enemy wasn’t going to. He hit him several times. “What’s wrong with you?!” he yelled. 

Eventually, the Rat King fought back. He threw a board at him, which caught him in the stomach, knocking him down, but Leo was on his feet again real quick. 

The Rat King began to run again, with Leo following. The others followed them as well. The silo wall continued to crack. 

The man and lead turtle jumped through a glass window. When the others got in there, Leo was ready for a fight. “Leo!” Raph called out. 

“Stay back! He’s mine!” Leo growled at his brothers. Then he took a battle stance, ready to take on the freak of nature before him. 

Leo and the Rat King went on to fight one heck of a fight. 

“If Leo goes down, I’m the first one in there.” Raph said. 

“But we don’t know the limit of his strengths. Even with the six of us.” Don said. 

“Right now, I’d say Leo’s got more than one monster to work out of his system.” Raph said, seeing how his older brother was getting a lot of hits, punches, and kicks into their enemy. 

Randall was watching the scene too, and he knew what Raph meant when he had said the word ‘monster.’ He knew that Leo was having a hard time right now in his own mind. He was wanting revenge on what had happened to him some months ago, that was for sure, and every enemy that encountered him had to face his wrath. Even Randall’s hatred for his own rivals so long ago took a back seat to this. 

Soon, Leo and the man were at a stalemate for a few moments. Then the man backed into the shadows and he seemed to have vanished. Leo looked around, warily. In an instant, the man came out from above and attacked again. This time, he had a chain in his hands. 

The man threw the chains at Leo and they caught his swords. Leo had to keep him from pulling his swords away. He put a foot on the chain and got his swords undone. Then there was a loud cracking noise. 

Leo saw the broken silo coming down. “Guys, get out of the way!” He called out and he even jumped onto the Rat King. “Look out!” 

The silo crashed down into the building and crashed through the floor, showing all the rats that were in the basement. There was a big floor space left, Leo on one side and one for the Rat King. 

Mikey almost stepped into the new hole in the floor. “Watch your step, Mikey.” Don said, keeping him from making a false move. “Whoa! Rat central!”

Randall had never seen so many rats in his life. He had never really noticed the rats of New York all that much, other than Splinter. He saw them here and there, but just ignored them. 

They all looked over at Leo and the enemy. What was going to happen next? 

Raph just wanted the fight to end with this freak. “Leo, let’s go!” he called over to his brother. 

This time, Leo listened. He put his katanas away and he jumped back over to his brothers. 

But the Rat King wasn’t about to let them go so easily. He jumped over too, landing on Leo, determined to give his rats a meal. The floor collapsed after he jumped off. 

“Look out!” Casey cried out. 

The weight of the man threw Leo off balance and he almost fell of the side. He cried out as Raph grabbed his right hand. Mike and Don and Casey held onto Raph to make sure he didn’t go over with them. 

Randall grabbed onto Leo’s left hand and pulled while wrapping his tail around Don’s right arm. With all their help and strength, they pulled Leo and his enemy up again, but then, Leo gave a good hard kick to the gut and the Rat King fell to his doom. 

The rats devoured the maniac under their eyes. 

Mikey made a yuck noise, then they all left the building. They were all ready to get out of there. The turtles all jumped the fence, but this side had barbed wire on top. Casey threw his bag over while he crawled under, with Randall following him on all eights. He dusted himself off as he stood up. Randall grinned as he stood up. 

Then Mikey made a realization. “Hey, I still got the bandana on. It’s been what? Forty five minutes easy. I am the greatest stealth hunter ever!” he laughed. 

Raph was irritated after what they all went through. He grabbed the bandana off and whacked Mikey on the shoulder with it. “Hey!” Mikey yelped, rubbing it. 

Then they all left the area. They just wanted to get the shell out of there. They didn’t know or care about the fate of their enemy. In their minds, he deserved what he got. But he was still alive. 

They had all gotten out with just a few minor bruises this night. They hoped they would never see that maniac again.


	24. Grudge Match

Over the next few weeks, Mikey began to seem to sneak away from his training sessions a lot more lately. And Leo was being even more harder on his brothers than necessary. 

Even when Randall trained with them, he was also noticing Leo’s most strict behavior. It made him be more wary of him now. He began avoiding going to the lair a lot more. He began sticking to April’s more. He could train there at her place as well. 

Mikey was just wanting to avoid his moody brother too. He knew Leo was making their workout sessions more of a real fight rather than training sessions. 

When Mikey noticed that Randall wasn’t coming to the lair as much, he began to sneak off to join him a lot more, and even during one of their training sessions. His brothers and father had a suspicion they knew where he was. 

Leonardo was so ticked off at his baby brother that he went in search of him instead of his brothers. When he reached April’s basement, he heard talking in Randall’s room. 

“Let’s watch this cool movie.” Mikey said as he was ready to watch a Silver Sentry movie on the tube with Randall. Then, the door slammed open, hard. It made them both cringe. 

“Michelangelo! Get home now!” Leo yelled out. 

“Oh, hey Leo. I didn’t see you there.” Mikey whimpered. He saw how hard his eldest bro and leader was glaring at him. “Eep.” He then sauntered out of the room, past Leo. 

Leo then glared at Randall. The lizard raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t ask him to come here. He did that on his own.” He defended himself. 

Leo didn’t say anything. He just left. 

Randall breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t need Leonardo pissed at him too. Sure, he had trained with Leo before, but he wasn’t going to train with this version of him if he could help it. Too bad for Mikey though. He knew Mikey was only coming to him to get away from Leo. 

He hoped this wouldn’t go on much longer, that hopefully Leo could come to terms with what happened.   
……………

Another night, at the end of September, the turtles and Splinter had gone for some practice topside for once. Splinter was just observing. He let his sons take the lead. And Leo sure did at that. 

He was running along and got on one rooftop and Raph got to him first. He hopped on the side. Leo could sense him. Raph threw a sai at him. Leo took out one of his katana and deflected it. Then Don came down from another roof on the other side of him. 

Don tried to hit him and Leo jumped away. Don now stood next to Raph. 

“You’re asking for this, Leo.” Raph warned. 

“Big time.” Don added. 

Leo nodded at them to bring it on. They both attacked together. Leo knocked Raph away for a moment while Don managed to knock Leo’s swords away and then Raph came at him again. He kicked Raph away and got his swords back and he and Don had a little spar before Don was knocked away into Raph across the roof. 

When his brothers were down, and Leo saw nothing from Mikey, he went over to the other two, thinking they could do way better. 

“Again.” Leo ordered. 

“Leo, if I gotta attack you one more time, I’m gonna really attack you!” Raph warned. 

Don was on top of Raph’s shell. “I’m all for training, but aren’t you going a bit overboard?” 

“I said, Again!” Leo sharpened his voice. 

“Alright, that’s it! You and me are having words about this attitude of yours lately-” Raph stalked to Leo, wanting to get him to talk, but was interrupted. 

“Raphael, Leonardo, enough! Your brothers are not incorrect, Leonardo. It is sufficient, for today.” Master Splinter wisely said. “Let us collect Michelangelo.” 

“Hey, where is Bozo the Turtle?” Raph goofed in his question. 

Mikey was a few rooftops over, but on the side of a fire escape, trying to watch a Silver Sentry show through a window and drinking a soda. “Best. Show. Ever.” He said slowly. 

Then there was someone clearing their voices from above him. It had been Raph, but Mikey saw his whole family above him. 

“Oh, hey. Is the break over already?” Mikey nervously asked. He joined them on the rooftop. 

“Mikey, you’ve been blowing off all our training sessions lately.” Leo said sternly. 

“What’s the big deal? So I missed one little sparring match.” Mikey said. 

“If I have to put up with Mr. Intensity’s little war games, so do you.” Raph warned him. 

“You aren’t taking your studies seriously, Michelangelo.” Splinter said. 

“Calm on guys. I’m the-” he began but was interrupted by Raph. 

“Don’t say it! Don’t you say it!” 

Mikey said it anyway, “Battle Nexus Champion!” 

Raph growl roared. 

“What?” Mikey asked. 

“What, is you rub your big win in our faces every chance you get. Mikey, you keep the trophy on top of the TV.” Don explained. 

“It’s a wonder you don’t wear that thing around your neck!” Raph snapped. 

“I tried. The chain kept breaking.” Mikey said. 

“You won the Battle Nexus by sheer dumb luck.” Raph said. 

Mike glared at him. “If I remember correctly, I beat you fair and square.” 

“Ooh, I don’t want to see this.” Don said and walked away. He always had tried to be the most peaceful of the brothers. 

“Michelangelo, you need to train.” Splinter said. “And more importantly, you need to approach your accomplishments with humility.” 

“You mean like, being the greatest warrior in all the multiverse, right?” Raph snarled the other way as Mikey went on. “Come on, training? I’m the-” 

Then a glow appeared in the sky, interrupting Mikey’s rant. It was a familiar kind of portal that had opened up. Then out jumped a big purple and green giant being. It was Mikey’s former opponent at the Championship. 

Mikey was knocked back into a wall and looked up. “Kluh?” he questioned. What was he doing here? 

Than a bunch of other Levrom warriors jumped out of the portal as well. 

“Mikey, hang on!” Raph tried to jump to his brother’s defense, but a Levrom soldier knocked him to the ground on his plastron, keeping him from reaching Mikey. 

Don, Leo, and Splinter all got their weapons ready. “What is the meaning of this?” Splinter demanded. “The laws of the Battle Nexus-”

“Take them all!” The leader, Amarg, and Kluh’s father ordered. 

Each one of them went up against a Levrom. Then Kluh continued with Mikey. “Where were we, Champion?” Then he threw Mikey into a brick wall. He tried to bash his head in and the turtle jumped away. 

“Maybe we could talk about this? Over coffee or something?” Mikey offered, but Kluh was having none of it. 

All of the turtles and Splinter were busy with the Levroms and another portal entered the scene. Out came the Gelgi, the Daimyo’s right hand servant of the Nexus. 

“You are to cease all combat on the orders of the Great Daimyo.” Gelgi said. 

“On what grounds? My son and I were told this fight was approved.” Amarg challenged angrily. 

Everyone ceased fighting. 

“Your son, Kluh, will face the champion in the right time and place, at the orders of the Battle Nexus rules, as it has been ordained for all time, Amarg.” Gelgi said. 

Mikey was surprised he was hearing this. He had to ask if his father was hearing this. “Master Splinter, what the shell is going-” 

“Silence, Michelangelo.” Splinter said. “Am I to understand that Michelangelo has been challenged?” 

“Due to the interferences in the last match, Amarg has appealed on Kluh’s behalf. In third Earth’s rules, a rematch.” Gelgi explained simply. 

“You’re not saying-? Don, what’s he saying?” Mikey wanted to hear it for sure. 

“I hope he’s saying what I think he’s sayin.” Raph said excitedly. 

“You’re going back to the Battle Nexus, Mikey, to fight Kluh. Man, it stinks to be you.” Don was equally excited for this. 

“There will be no ordained combat outside the arena, Amarg. We are fully aware of your distain for Battle Nexus rules. In three days, the champion will face Kluh in the arena to defend his honor.” The Gelgi said. 

Amarg was ticked off that it couldn’t be done any other way. 

Kluh pounded a fist into the roof, making an indent. “Three days, Earther. Then I will grind your bones to dust.” Kluh threatened before he and his father, and their Levrom warriors disappeared. 

Mikey felt relieved when that was over. “So, uh, who’s up for some training?” Mikey asked. 

“I can’t wait to see you get pounded into paste!” Raph said happily. 

“But you don’t need to train, remember? After all, you’re the Champion!” Don remarked happily. 

Mikey winced at his own words, now that they were all backwards. He turned to his father, hoping he didn’t want his father to see him get hurt. 

“Master Splinter, you’ll train me, right?” Mikey asked. 

“Training, Michelangelo? Oh, I’m sure there are other things I can be doing. Reading comics, or watching television. Oh no, I’m going to go eat pizza. Pizza sounds very appetizing right about now, with pepperoni and karma.” Splinter said as he followed Don and Raph off the rooftop. 

Mikey felt so alone right now in his time of need of support for a big battle like this. It was like they didn’t even care about him anymore. He had three days to live, so he thought. 

“I’ll help you train.” Leo said from behind him. 

Mikey turned. “Leo, really? You’ll train me? You’re the best brother ever!” Mikey ran and hugged him. 

“I wouldn’t go rubbing my shell just yet.” Leo said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.” 

“Can Randall come see this too?” Mikey asked. 

“Sure. He’s never been there.” Leo said. 

For once, Leo was calmer, but there was still that hint of anger in his voice. Leo still loved his brother and wanted him to be prepared for anything. He would do what it takes to get his little brother to focus. 

They were going to go tomorrow night.   
……………

Later in the evening, Mikey went over to the basement and knocked on Randall’s door. The lizard answered it. 

“What do you want now, Mike? I hope Leonardo isn’t looking for you this time.” Randall grumped. 

“No, he knows I’m here to invite you to something special tomorrow night.” Mikey said. 

“What’s that?” 

“Um, I’ve told you about the Battle Nexus Championship before.” 

“Yes. What about it?” 

“Um, I’ve sort of been challenged, by my old opponent. He wants to take me on in three days.” Mikey said. 

Randall’s eyes widened. Wow! That was big. 

“I was wondering if you wanted to come support me?” Mikey asked with a pleading look. 

“Now this is something I want to see.” Randall’s behavior perked up. He just wanted to see this dimension they were going to. “I’ll be at the lair. What time?” 

Mikey told him about six. 

“I’ll be there.” Randall said.   
……………

Randall told April he was going to the lair tonight. He was doing something special tonight with the turtles. 

When he got there, they were preparing to depart. They all said hello and went topside to where Splinter drew the Nexus marks on the wall in the alley. 

“I’m glad you’re all coming to support me.” Mikey said. 

“Support? I wouldn’t miss you taking this beating for all the world!” Raph scoffed. 

Randall knew Raph meant it. Mikey did pick on him quite a bit. 

Splinter said the chant that opened the portal and they all walked into it. 

When they walked out, there was nothing around. “No one’s home. Let’s head back.” Mikey said. 

He was hit on the shoulder by Raph. 

“Enough. Rules dictate that Michelangelo must present himself to the Hall of Past Champions.” Splinter said. 

They all went to the Hall of Past Champions. Randall was impressed with all the diversity of the beings here. And then he saw Mikey posing. He couldn’t help but smile. It was an impressive statue. 

“Knock it off, Mikey. You’re gonna attract pigeons.” Raph scolded. 

“I think somebody’s jealous.” Mikey retorted. Raph stuck his tongue out at him. 

Leo and Don were watching and heard a noise behind them. It was the Daimyo’s son. They probably could understand why he still had some fear in him, now that he was a kid again. Randall had scared him good last time. Randall saw him too. 

The Daimyo appeared and welcomed them as his guests and was proud to say about Mike honoring them in battle once again. Mikey was still nervous about the whole thing. He just wanted to go home. 

Then the Daimyo transported them to the area above the arena. There were other beings fighting down below. Randall was amazed at this place. He had never been here before, so it was easy to be fascinated by it. 

“Uh, Gelgi, I thought the tournament was held only every three years.” Don stated. 

“True, Donatello. But in honor of the Championship, we are also holding what you would call exhibition matches.” Gelgi replied. 

There was a fight between two warriors of two different races and one was zapped out after he lost. Randall was shocked. 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. If worse comes to worse, I get zapped out before I take the big loser nap.” Mikey said. 

“Yeah, but not before you get a good beating.” Raph said. 

Randall wanted to go explore. They went to go do that, but that was where Leo and Mike split off to go do some more work to prepare Mikey what he was going to have to do. “We have work to do.” Leo said as he guided his baby brother away from the group. 

Randall stopped when he saw Leo pulling Mikey away. “Come, Randall. Leonardo has something he needs to do with Michelangelo.” Splinter said. 

Mikey looked back the lizard. Randall nodded at him. Whatever needed to be done had be done. The others would show him around the place since they had time for the time being. 

First, they were all shown where they were going to stay for the next couple of days while awaiting the tournament. Then they went sight seeing around the little village surrounding the palace. 

In an arena, Kluh was so ready to take his opponent out of the picture. He was so pissed that it couldn’t have been done the way he wanted to do it. 

“I could have ended the turtle right there, Father. Why must we bend to the Daimyo’s rules?” Kluh asked his father, standing behind him. 

“Because we will show them all who witnessed your defeat at this turtle’s hands. We will take our honor back by force!” Amarg replied. 

A wizard Levrom stepped forward. “All has been arranged.” he said.

Outside the village, Leo and Mikey were climbing a tall mountain. 

“I gotta get out of here.” Mikey complained. He was really scared for this fight to happen. When they made it to the top, Mikey looked around. “Wow! Is this why you brought me up here? So I can hide in a cave?” 

“I brought you up here to help clear your mind, Mikey.” Leo replied. “To push you beyond your limits, to where there are no limits, and no one or anything will ever catch you off guard again.” He got more furious in his words. 

“Uh, we’re still talking about me, right?” Mikey asked, unsure if Leo was talking about him or not. 

“In this life, we only have each other. If one of goes down, we all go down, so focus, Mikey.” Leo said. 

“Maybe I can still forfeit.” Mikey joked. 

Leo got Mikey to meditate with him afterwards and they began practicing their moves later. That night, they joined their family and friends for dinner in the dining hall. It was great new food for Randall to try. And this was how the other half lived. 

Soon after, it was time for bed. 

Mikey was worried that Kluh would sneak into his room and finish him in his sleep. He didn’t sleep too well that night.   
…………..

Leo and Mikey continued their practice moves the next day away from their family so Mikey could concentrate on clearing his mind once again. 

The rest of the family tried to enjoy themselves. They were having some lunch in the same place Raph had had a downing shake after he had lost to Mikey last time here. Randall wondered how Leo was getting his friend to focus since Mikey wasn’t exactly the most focused turtle of the group. 

Raph, Don, and Splinter were relaxed enough, and did want to see Mikey finally shut up about being the champion. But yes, they wanted to see if he could show his true potential too, to rightfully earn the title. Raph still hoped it would be Kluh though the most. Then Mikey would stop driving him nuts about the title. 

Randall then brought up the subject, “If the Daimyo’s son poisoned Leonardo during his fight against Usagi, why doesn’t he get a rematch fight too?” 

“That is a good question, but unlike Kluh, Usagi is our friend. He wouldn’t dream of it. Maybe someday.” Don explained. “Leo’s more than grateful to him for saving his life.” 

“There are not a whole lot of true warriors out there that fight with true honor.” Splinter said. It was understandable. 

Mikey wished all his brothers and Randall could be doing this training too. But all his older bros had lost in their fights, so they weren’t having to do this.   
……………..

The next day was the most nerve racking for Mikey. He was so nervous he couldn’t even eat before that evening’s tournament. 

Raphael was the most fired up to see this fight take place. Don’s enthusiasm had calmed down more, but he too wanted to see how well the fight would go. They all just wanted Mikey to learn a lesson from this, that he wasn’t above everyone else just for winning one fight. But it was a technicality, not a real winning situation at the time. That was going to be changed tonight. 

Splinter, Don, Raph, and Randall were all standing where the Daimyo would be announcing the fight to begin. It would be shortly. Raph was ampted for the excitement. Randall was still mainly just curious about this, but still concerned for his friend. 

Somewhere else, Leo and Mikey were preparing in the last moments before Mikey was to defend his honor. 

“I don’t want to get pummeled, Leo.” Mikey said nervously. 

“Michelangelo, you can win this. I know you can.” Leo encouraged. 

“Champion, if Leonardo believes you can, then I do too.” Ue, the Daimyo’s son, stepped up to say so. 

The Gelgi appeared. “It is time, Champion.” 

Mikey took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” Then the Gelgi made him disappear for his rematch, leaving Leo standing with Ue. 

“Let’s get you back to your father.” Leo said, but then he saw the boy gasp and was looking at something behind him, making him look back too, taking out his katanas. 

It was Amarg and four warriors. “You and the boy will be going nowhere, Turtle! Except perhaps to join your weakling brother in the afterlife!” Amarg snarled at them. 

“Whatever dishonorable plan you’re hatching, the Daimyo will stop you.” Leo warned them. 

“The Daimyo see us as barbarians. But we Levroms are not without our own… magic. At this moment, my wizard is removing the safety spells surrounding the tournament. The fight between my son and your brother will be a fight to the finish. I will have Michelangelo’s head on my wall! That… is the Levrom way!” Amarg exclaimed. 

“Look out!” Leo warned the boy and knocked him aside as the Levrom warriors attacked him. 

Ue was knocked into Amarg, where he looked up at the monster man in fear. Amarg laughed evilly as he reached down for the boy and was going to put him in a sack as a hostage against the Daimyo using his war staff on the Levroms. 

Amarg left with the boy in the sack while Leo fought real hard to defeat the cowards who were fighting him right now. He just hoped Mikey would be alright, and Ue.   
……………

In the arena, Mikey was waiting for his opponent to show. 

“Now, we settle this fight by ordained combat.” The Daimyo announced. Then he got a weird feeling in his head after he had set up the guard lines around the special arena so there would be no interferences this time. It was like a force field. 

The Daimyo was feeling the effects of Amarg’s wizard. “Something… is not right.” He held his head. Splinter noticed something was off with his friend too. 

Mikey looked around and then Kluh appeared, finally. He began twirling his weapon and charged the scared turtle. Mikey dodged and jumped on his weapon a couple of times. One time he was hit by the weapon after the second time and then thrown into the wall. The weapon had knocked the wind out of him for a moment. 

Mikey’s family was shocked at that. Splinter gasped. Randall was stunned that he had seen that happen. Then, this was a new opponent for him to see. 

“That’s not right!” Raph pointed out. 

“Why didn’t Mikey disappear? Kluh’s weapon shouldn’t have even touched him.” Don stated. 

“Daimyo, what is happening here?” Splinter demanded. 

“Someone is altering the laws of the Battle Nexus.” The Daimyo said. 

“Yes!” An evil voice said from behind him, making him and Mike’s family turn to face it. 

It was Amarg and more Levrom warriors. 

“Now, the combat is mortal! And my son’s victory will be even more victorious when the turtle lays crushed and lifeless!” Amarg sneered. 

The others couldn’t believe they were hearing this. “You did this!” Raph demanded. “You and me are having words!” He started walking toward him with his sais drawn until Splinter stopped him. 

“You presume too much, Amarg. The essence of the Battle Nexus flows through me. I can feel your wizard even now. I am going to put an end to-” The Daimyo started calling on the powers of his war staff when he was interrupted. 

“You will do nothing, Daimyo! Unless, you would risk this!” Amarg yelled. A Levrom ran up to him, holding a sack. He took something out of it; the Daimyo’s son!

“No!” Don said in concern. 

“No! Not my son!” The Daimyo said sadly. Amarg smirked evilly. The Daimyo walked forward and laid his staff down in surrender. 

Randall saw the boy had tears coming down his face as he squirmed. He could see this situation was cowardly, and maybe there was something he could do about that. He got behind the others and lowered himself down so he wouldn’t be seen. He vanished. 

Down in the arena, Kluh had come to Mikey and was now picking him up and he punched him into the wall. He fell to the floor. “I should be… porting out of here… any minute now.” 

Then Kluh picked him up again by the left arm. “No one to save you this time. No interference.” He punched Mikey in the stomach and ribs several times, winding the turtle even more. 

Mikey looked unconscious, but he was just waiting for a moment, and he reflected on what Leo had told him about how if one of them went down, all of them went down. 

Mikey finally realized what it was Leo was telling him about focusing. He opened his eyes and he yelled and kicked off of Kluh’s chest, making him fall to the ground. He cannon balled around the arena and landed. 

“Alright. If this is what you want, come on then!” Mikey egged Kluh on. Kluh was ready. 

He charged again, ready to take the turtle down once and for all. 

Up on the podium area, the Daimyo and the mutants were waiting for what was next. Randall had vanished. 

“I lost my son once. I can’t lose him again.” The Daimyo said sadly in defeat. 

“And you won’t!” The voice said. Something invisible snatched the boy out of Amarg’s grip. 

“What?” Amarg was dumbfounded. 

Randall had snatched Ue and moved him over to the turtles, where he put him down. He reappeared after that. 

“Way to go, Randall.” Don said. Randall nodded and looked back at the enemy. 

Leo then came running up and his swords clanged with two more of the warriors. 

“That’s impossible. No one can defeat four Levrom warriors.” Amarg was in shock at seeing the blue masked turtle up here. He was also shocked to see the lizard do what he did. 

“Nothing is impossible, Amarg. Especially when one fights with true honor.” The Daimyo now picked up his war staff again, now that his son was out of danger. He picked up Amarg and his henchmen. 

Down below, Mikey continued the fight against Kluh. He hit him in the face and used his nunchuku on his legs and then kicked him so hard he fell over after his weapon was broken in half by Mikey kicked through it. Mikey started twirling his chucks over his head. 

As the Daimyo had the Levroms in his power, he said, “Gaze upon what you have done, Amarg. Now your son’s life hangs in the balance. I will let Michelangelo decide your fate, and the fate of your son.” He declared. 

“NO!” Amarg was mad. 

The others looked down below to see the final outcome of the face off. 

Down below, Kluh was now ready to give up. “Do it. Finish me.” 

Mikey’s chucks stopped spinning. “I don’t think so. My father taught me better than that. Besides, you’re already finished.” He said and put his finger on Kluh’s head, pushing him back. He fell back onto the ground. He was defeated. 

The crowd’s cheers rang out. Even Randall and Mikey’s family were happy that he had won honorably this time, especially since he had almost been able to be killed. They weren’t always fond of his kidding around, but they didn’t want him to die. 

The Levroms were taken to the dungeon for later punishment. Mikey later decided that they should go back to their world and not be allowed here again. The Daimyo agreed. He made them go back to their world, but declared they would never be allowed to return. 

Later, there was going to be a party. The turtles and Randall were all given special garb to wear to the party. It was all in their chosen colors. Randall wore a special kimono that was purple. There were four arm holes. 

All of the audience was in the Great Hall attending when they got there. They all waved at their audience. 

“Michelangelo, step forward.” The Daimyo said. 

Mikey looked at his father, and Splinter motioned for him to do so. He walked up to the Daimyo and bowed. 

The wise king held a medal in his hands. He laid it down upon Mikey’s shoulders and around the neck of his garb. “Michelangelo, I award you the Battle Nexus medal, for unparalleled honor.” 

Mikey smiled and held the medal proudly. He had truly earned this title this time. He bowed again. 

The others were happy he was alive, but now they knew they would never hear the end of it. 

“And I thought the trophy was bad.” Don said. 

“I am never going to hear the end of this. I’m gonna have to move out.” Raph complained. 

Randall smirked. He knew he himself wasn’t ready to fight other creatures just yet, at least not ones like Kluh. But he was glad he had gotten to partake in this special occasion. 

Leo soon wandered off. Mikey saw him go. He followed him. 

He found Leo by a wall. “Leo.” Leo turned to him. “I wanted to say… thanks.” 

“You did good, Mikey. You did good.” Leo said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He was proud of his little brother. 

The Daimyo also thanked Randall for saving his son from Amarg. He could see that the lizard had become an invaluable part of his friend, Splinter’s family. His invisibility had saved his son today. Amarg hadn’t seen it coming. 

Soon after, the Daimyo beamed them all back home. It had been a wonderful adventure, if a bit unnerving as well because of what happened. They had all just hoped for a fair fight to begin with, whether Mikey had lost or won. But he had proved that he truly deserved to be the Battle Nexus Champion. He just needed to stop rubbing it in their faces so much.


	25. A Wing and A Prayer/ Bad Day

After Mikey’s win of the Nexus, he did have some good bruises from his mortal fight with Kluh. Don did examine him for broken ribs, as hard as he had been hit several times. His plastron could protect his bones a bit, but not from everything. 

Luckily, no ribs were broken, just bruised. Mikey hadn’t let on at the party or anything, but now that they were back home in safety, Mikey began to feel the pain of those bruises. Don said he should have a week off of training real hard to let his middle heal. 

Leo was serious about keeping his brother in training, but he could see why, when Don had said Mikey needed some time to heal, as bad as he had been punched. 

Mikey had the next week off. His brothers continued to train hard however, with Leo pushing them the way he did. And a week later, Mikey felt a lot better. 

Randall had come over and hang out for video games with Mikey while he was healing. And Leo also put Randall through some katas as well. Even he was getting fed up with Leo’s ridiculous hard training sessions. He was making them train too hard. 

After that week was over, the turtles went up top one night for a training session. Randall decided to come over this evening and he had just missed them. Oh well. Splinter was still there though, and he and Randall sat down to a cup of tea in the living room. 

“So, what’s your perspective on Leonardo’s behavior, Splinter?” Randall asked the rat. 

“His behavior is very disturbing. It just is not like him to be this way for so long. It worries me more each day that he is becoming his own worst enemy on the inside. He aims to do everything for himself when he gets hurt in some way. I know the Foot harmed him and I don’t know how to help him get through it in that way, but this has been going on for too long.” Splinter explained. 

“Tell me about it. I’ve never known him to be this way either, and I’ve been through some tough times with him too.” Randall said. 

They finished their tea and started watching some TV, one of Splinter’s soaps, when an hour later, the turtles came back with an unconscious guest. 

They all helped to carry this weird looking human creature into the living room. Splinter turned off the TV and he and Randall got off the couch as the boys laid the winged man on the couch. 

“Who is this, my sons?” Splinter asked. 

Randall had never seen a human with wings before. He had light blonde hair and black clothes on. His wings were white. 

“We don’t know who he is, but he did save Mikey from another flyer.” Don replied. 

“I just know he’s called the Guardian Angel in the newspaper.” Mikey said, holding up the paper he had bought, even though Leo had sliced it. 

“That’s fitting for him.” Randall said, looking down at the man with wings. 

Then there came a moan. They all turned to their guest. He was waking up. 

“He is regaining consciousness.” Splinter said. 

The winged man looked around. “Where am I? This… is an Y’Lyntian stronghold.” he said in a worried manner. 

“Yeah, well, that’s kind of a long story.” Raph replied. 

“You’re the Guardian Angel. I got all the clippings! You’re famous!” Mikey exclaimed excitedly. 

When the man tried to sit up, he felt his wing hurt and didn’t get up, but Splinter had noticed why. “You have damaged one of your wings. Do not move.” The rat said. He pressed on his shoulder and pulled the wing a bit, making a crunching sound. 

That move even surprised Randall. 

The winged man then sat up. “It feels… much better.” He rubbed at it. 

“I simply manipulated pressure points in your shoulder to redirect the flow of chi to your wing.” Splinter explained. 

“Thank you.” The man said, rubbing his wing, then he got a panicked look and rubbed his head. “Mephos. The diadem. Where is it?” 

“If you mean your headband, the guy with the metal wings took it.” Don stepped forward. 

“NO!” He shouted in distress. “It will spell the downfall of my people. It will spark a new civil war! Many countless lives will suffer!” 

No one would want to hear this. 

“Don’t sweat it, Angel dude. We’ll just kick old Tin Wing’s butt and get the headband back.” Mikey said. 

“I cannot ask you to help. I am already in your debt. And where I come from, that is no small feat.” The man said. 

“And you saved Mikey. We take that pretty seriously too.” Leo said. “We’ll help you, but we need to know everything.” 

“Very well. My name is Raptar. I am an Avian.” The man said. 

“I knew it!” Don exclaimed. 

Raptar went to explain the Y’Lyntian story. The turtles had heard it before long ago, and still remembered it. This was the first time Randall and Splinter were hearing it though. Randall remembered one time he had heard the word avian as well that meant bird. Well, this guy did have wings like a bird, with feathers. 

Don then knew how they were going to get there, even though he was unsure if it would work entirely. “I’m sure we could follow you, Raptar, with my new inventions.” Don said. “Come with me.” 

Everyone followed him to his lab. 

“Donny, are we going or what?” Mikey asked. 

Randall wasn’t too sure he wanted to go to deal with this, but he was welcome to let his friends go. He wasn’t too sure about the effect air travel would have on him. 

“We’re going. Be prepared to be amazed.” Don said, then he pulled a cloth off of four flying tech packs. 

“Tech pack thingies?” Mikey stated. 

“What’s so great about that, Hotshot?” Raph asked. He crossed his arms, along with Raptar. 

“Well how kind of you to ask. Just watch, and be amazed.” Don said, and picked one up and let it spread out. 

“Cool!” Mikey said. 

“I’ve been working on an upgraded version of the tech packs that can fly.” Don explained. 

“We still have a problem. Without a crystal diadem, we won’t be able to find the city.” Leo said. 

“But, your home is an Y’Lyntian outpost. Surely, there are power crystals here.” Raptar stated. 

“We kinda used them all to help some of our friends.” Mikey explained. 

“It’s a long story.” Don added. 

“What of the Memory Crystal?” Raptar asked. 

None of them knew what he was talking about. Then they watched as he stepped over to a pillar with a hieroglyph on it, and he traced it. “Let us see.” Then something sparked and went up the wall to the ceiling. That was really amazing. 

“It is still here.” Raptar said proudly. His new friends were being real helpful and useful in his time of need. He flew over to the big batch of crystals that had come down from the ceiling. He picked up two crystals. “These will do.” 

“Wow! I thought I scanned the lair from top to bottom for crystals.” Don said. “How?” He wanted to know more. 

“It’s… an Avian thing.” Raptar simply said. 

All the turtles picked up the tech packs and they all went topside, eager to get going to the Avian city. They had them snapped on by the time they reached a good-sized building. 

Raptar and the turtles got on the edge, ready to go. Splinter and Randall approached them. 

“Your hospitality has been generous. Thank you, Splinter.” The Avian said, then he got into the air. 

“Be careful, my sons.” Splinter said. 

“Piece of cake. You’ve tested them, right Donny?” Mikey asked his brainy brother. 

“Not exactly.” Don said. 

“Then this will have to be the test flight.” Leo said seriously. He made his take off first. 

“Leo, wait up.” Raph said and took off second. Mike and Don took off last. 

“I hope they return in good health.” Splinter said. “I think Donatello had designed one for you too, Randall.” 

“I don’t think so. I don’t think flying would agree with me.” Randall stated. “Well, if I’m not needed here, I’m going back home.” 

The two of them went back to the sewers and would await the turtles’ return.   
……………

Many hours later, after visiting the Avian city, they had defeated the one with the metal wings and he was imprisoned up there now, to never cause harm again, hopefully. The turtles all returned home safely, and Mikey had a new souvenir: a picture of himself with Raptor, the Guardian Angel. Mikey added the picture to his scrapbook. 

They were glad to know him and would be happy to help take down bad guys with him too if he needed their help in the future.   
……………..

Randall knew of monsters in the world of humans, which were usually banished monsters, but he had experienced a lot of weird and awesome new creatures even he had never heard of before since he had met the mutant family. It seems that this new life definitely had a lot to offer; it was anything but boring. 

It was still just very disturbing though how much time had passed since Leo’s incident with the rogue Foot soldiers, five months now, and he was still being angry all the time, it seemed at the world. Sometimes a small part of his former self would come out, but that was rare now. They were lucky to ever catch him smiling anymore. 

Lately, the turtles let the lair get a little messy. The living room and Don’s study areas were messy. 

One night, Splinter had all his sons sit down for some meditation with him. He wanted to have them steady their minds, especially Leo. 

“Why is it all minds, all the time?” Mikey asked. “I’m hungry.” 

“Because you have not been using them enough. What does the state of our home say about its occupants right now?” Splinter asked. The place was quite messy around the living room and Don’s lab area. 

“Um, we really like casual Fridays.” Mikey joked. 

“It’s a reflection of unfocused minds.” Splinter reminded them. Your behavior has become sloppy. You all roam the city as if no threat existed. And Leonardo,” the rat looked at his eldest, “Your behavior is the most troubling of all. There is a new hardness to you that strays from the true path of Ninjitsu.” 

“I do what I have to to protect this family.” Leo responded harshly. His brothers gasped. 

Splinter glared at him. “As do I. Back to meditation.” he ordered. 

His sons did as they were told. This had been going on for hours and Mikey for sure was ready to go eat dinner. Don was wanting to get back to his projects. Raph wanted to watch a wrestling match on TV, and Leo just wanted to do some more training. 

But, shortly after they started meditating again, something started happening in the back of their minds, a strange dream from the astral plane. 

After what had seemed like the real world was attacking them, Splinter got the enemies to reveal themselves: the Foot Mystics! They hadn’t dealt with them in a long time. But Splinter got his sons to focus and beat the Foot Mystics. 

When they all came out of their trances, they saw that it was just like a dream. It wasn’t real. 

“So, none of that was real?” Don asked. 

“No. They wanted to destroy us from within. If it will make you more at ease, go call our friends.” Splinter advised. Don went to call April and Casey, and Randall to make sure they were okay. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, April? And Casey and Randall are there too?” Don asked when he called. 

“Why? Is there something wrong?” April asked. 

“No. I just had a bad dream that something had happened.” Don said. “I was just making sure you’re okay.” 

“Okay then.” April said. 

Mikey was also worried for his cat, then there was a cat’s meow from above. “Klunk!” Mikey said happily. He went to go get his cat. 

After that, Splinter let his sons go back to what they wanted to do. They all needed time to calm down after what had just happened. 

The Foot Mystics were still watching them from their pool of water in the temple. They had attacked them of their own free will. Karai had not demanded it, but the Mystics still wanted to take the turtles out. They were just biding their time until the next time. They wanted out of the Foot’s service, once and for all.


	26. Aliens Among Us

Agent Bishop was still pissed off at the President wanting to pull his funding. He just didn’t see what kind of work he was trying to do to protect the planet from aliens invading. 

Now that the Shredder was out of the picture, Dr. Baxter Stockman had started working for Bishop full time. He liked his job better here than with his other employer, as Bishop wasn’t threatening to take him apart anymore than he already was. He was once human, but was now nothing more than a brain and voice box in a big, watery jar. 

Because of the lack of an alien invasion, Bishop was going to have to prove to the President how valuable his work was. He was going to make sure that he got his funding back. 

The President was visiting New York in a month, and Stockman had two months to make a substitute alien invasion. There was already a false spaceship being made. Now for the aliens.   
…………..

It was the middle of September. 

The President was coming to New York in a matter of days. Donatello had been listening to the news reports and he wanted to go hear and see the President’s speech. It was risky for them, as it was in broad daylight. 

Randall had never seen their President, it was tempting to go. At least he could make himself blend and not be seen. He wanted to go out to just see what it was like being out in the daylight for a change. Don had Randall’s vote. Now Don just needed to convince Leo to let them go. 

It took a lot of hard work to convince Leo to let them go, but for once, he caved. 

When the President finally came to the city, the turtles and Randall left the lair and headed for the United Nations building. When they got closer, Randall vanished. He knew better. The turtles always looked before they leaped at this time of day. 

But, at the building, there was one man on the ground who did see flying shadows and looked up to see what it was, and there was nothing there. He was part of the Secret Service guards, and it was his job to make sure the leader of the country stayed safe. 

Donny was super excited to hear the President’s speech. It was about affecting space travel. He had always been fascinated with it. He currently had on his heat sensor goggles. He saw some secret service men, but his baby brother was once again, being his usual manipulative self. 

“Come on, Don, I wanna see.” Mikey complained as he appeared in his sight. 

Don finally caved and gave Mikey the goggles. “Ooh! Turtle vision!” Mikey said in an impressed voice. Mikey was seeing Leo, Raph, and Randall in the background. Randall had reappeared. 

“You see red and green?” Randall asked. 

“Yes. I can see you too.” Mikey replied. 

“Will you guys knock it off. There are secret service everywhere! We never should have come here.” Leo said. He had been unsure of this from the beginning, but he had wanted to let Don have something he wanted to see for once. Don had been pretty persuasive. 

“Come on, Leo. The President’s only in town for one day. This is an important speech. It could affect space exploration for years to come.” Don explained. 

“Yeah, and it’s at the United Nations. And it’s the President of the United States. We might as well check into a lab to ask to be dissected!” Leo had to point out a bummer fact. 

“Chill, Leo.” Raph said, right next to him. “Just think of it as stealth training. The secret service agents are supposed to be the best of the best. I should be a secret service agent.” Raph said, feeling a little jealous that he couldn’t just because of what he was. 

“I know I could qualify for a spy, if only they hired beings like us.” Randall added. 

“Yeah, I hear they are looking for short, green men for hire. They really blend in.” Mikey mocked Raph. 

Raph got up and whacked him on the head. “Ow! Hey!” 

“You so asked for that one.” Don said. He had his goggles back from Mikey finally. 

Then, from down below, there was an announcer’s voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the President of the United States.” 

The President got out of his car and waved, then he walked up to the podium. 

Don was looking, just ready to hear what the President had to say. “Look, there he is.” he pointed. The others looked down too. They hoped this was important enough to be here in broad daylight. 

“Thank you, ladies and gentleman of the press.” The President began. “I’d just like to say a few words of this day’s historic leading at the United Nations.” He managed to complete his sentence just as there as there was a strange noise that rang out. He looked up. 

Even the turtles and Randall heard the noise and looked up, as it sounded it was coming from the sky. 

Something began to materialize in the sky. Don was surprised at what it could be and pulled up his goggles to see for real what it was. Even Randall had never suspected something like this. 

“Well, I said it would be historic.” Don’s voice had lowered to a worried tone. 

Down below, the President got nervous when he saw what looked like an alien spaceship above the United Nations building. And then, multiple other smaller ships began to appear too. 

People around town began to panic. 

“Hey, look, an alien invasion. You don’t see that every day.” Raph pointed out sarcastically. “Oh wait. Yeah, we do.” He crossed his arms. 

The turtles and Randall had definitely seen more of strange creatures than most other humans ever could have. But the big question is, what did the aliens want? 

Don tried to get a good look at them. “It looks like something out of an old movie. They aren’t Utrom in origin, or any other alien that I’ve seen before.” 

“Maybe because we haven’t seen any other aliens besides the Utroms.” Raph pointed out. 

“And hopefully friendly.” Mikey hoped. 

Then the big ship above the building started firing up. 

The secret service men got worried for the President. “Mr. President, get back in the vehicle. We’re getting you out of here.” A man urgently said. 

The President and some guards got in the car and took off just as the ship began shooting down many objects. The car dodged most of them. The objects stood up into what looked like blue aliens with red eyes. They took out alien-like bazookas. 

“So much for friendly.” Leo said, then he tried to take off. Raph grabbed his arm. 

“Leo, where ya goin?’ Raph asked. “Don’t ya think we need a plan?” 

“We take out every alien we see. That’s the plan.” Leo replied. 

“Come on.” Don said, as he and Mikey and Randall jumped down first. Leo and then Raph followed off the rooftop. 

Across town, there was a truck that had Bishop and some commandos in it, controlling the ship and the aliens from it. 

“What’s the status of the President?” Bishop asked. 

“We stopped his limo, Sir. Should we collect?” A man asked. 

“Let him squirm a bit. Then reel him in. Continue the show.” Bishop replied with an evil smile. 

The aliens began to move in. The driver wasn’t going to stay here and let the President get taken away. He put his foot on the gas and pushed the car into drive. The aliens began to fire their guns and the driver tried to dodge the shots. He ended up going into a driveway, where he ended up crashing into a dumpster, knocking everyone in the car unconscious. 

Then, a shadowy figure approached the door. It opened. “Think we can keep him?” Mikey asked. 

“I don’t have time to whack you, Mikey.” Raph snapped. 

“Just grab him and let’s get out of here.” Don said. 

“That might be easier said than done.” Randall said, as he saw the aliens now at the front of the alley. 

The turtles took their weapons out, ready to defend themselves. Don carried Randall’s tonfas. The aliens were taking aim on them all. Randall couldn’t help but vanish. He would help if he saw fit. 

“Randall! We could use your help too!” Leo shouted. 

“I’ll jump in when I need to.” Randall replied. He had climbed onto the building. 

The aliens began to shoot at them. Leo started spinning his swords to deflect the shots while the other turtles went got behind the car and the dumpster. Leo continued fighting the aliens, getting in close and slicing the tips off the ends of their guns to make them useless. 

Raph was the first one to jump in and help Leo. He threw one of his sais into one next to Leo, and it hit the gun. Leo stopped for a moment. Raph charged in and gave the alien a good kick, knocking it back and then it started blowing up and exploded, leaving a gooey blue mess in its place. 

“Ew.” Raph said. 

Randall couldn’t believe he had just seen that. It was kind of funny. 

Don did his own version of attacking back when he hit his staff into them as well, and more blew up. “Ah, come on!” He got covered in some of the goo. 

Mikey wanted to avoid the goo if he could, so he tried a different way, but an alien pinned him down. Randall saw it happen. He growled. He jumped down off the building and lowering his head, he jumped into the alien, knocking it away and into a wall, making it bubble up and explode. The goo covered Mikey. Then Don came over to them. 

“Why can’t we ever get nice furry aliens?” Mikey whined. 

“Staaay focused!” Leo shouted an order at them as he kicked another alien toward them.  
It got up and tried to menace them, with Mikey using a nunchuku to stop him before it hit them, and it blew up. Randall couldn’t help but jump away before it did. 

“Ew, he slimed me.” Mikey said as he and Don were covered in more goo. 

“You wear it well.” Don complimented. 

“You think?” Mikey asked. 

“I do.” Don said. 

The turtles and Randall had been seen on Bishop’s video camera. He had it turned off, pissed. “Interfering freaks! Get me Stockman.” he ordered. 

A video phone got Dr. Stockman on it, in a robot body that was near spider-like. “How goes your production, Agent Bishop?” 

“Your aliens are decomposing ahead of schedule, Doctor! Explain!” Bishop demanded angrily. 

“Decomposing ahead of schedule? How can that be?” Stockman was stumped too. He turned on the camera. It showed the turtles and Randall fighting the aliens. Then he turned back, “Your orders were to have them follow orders and carry weapons. Hand to hand combat was not on the list. The physical battering must be accelerating the breakdown.” was Stockman’s explanation. 

Bishop didn’t want to hear this. He wanted just one plan to go through as planned for a change. And this one wasn’t going to either. Then his skin rippled for some reason. 

“Looks like someone else’s body is also breaking down.” Stockman said. 

“Another time, Doctor.” Bishop growled. “Reel him in. We’re cutting the invasion short. If the reptiles get in the way, eliminate them!” He ordered. 

Back with the alley, the turtles and Randall had just finished fighting the aliens into oblivion. They were all covered in blue goo. 

“Well, one thing’s for sure; they don’t make aliens like they used to.” Raph said. 

“Can I freak out now?” Mikey asked. 

“Don, what is going on here?” Leo asked. He put his katanas back in his sheaths. 

“Hang on. Let me get a sample of- Hm?” Don got a vial out of his duffel bag and bent down to collect a sample of the goo, then something popped up out of nowhere. He picked it up. “What on Earth? I think this is a transmitter.” 

They all were hearing sirens from military trucks. “Move, guys!” Leo ordered. The turtles all got their sucker climbing gear on their hands and knees. Randall just instinctively climbed the wall ahead of them and waited further up the wall. 

“Secure the area!” A general ordered. After looking around, it was said, “All clear!” 

Higher up on the wall, Randall and the turtles were just trying not to be seen. 

“What about the President? He’s still out cold in the back of the limo.” Don pointed out. 

“Hey, the army has him now. They can handle it right?” Mikey stated. 

Then there was that noise from above again. The ship was coming back. Then it sent a red ray down to the ground. The five friends made it to the roof and watched as the President’s car was sucked up into the ship. They cleaned the goo off of themselves. 

“So now what?” Randall asked. 

“This is bad.” Don said. 

“What was your first clue? Aliens abducting the President?” Raph remarked. 

Randall could certainly remember a time when he might have been thought of as an alien abducting a human child. But what was the President wanted for? 

Donatello got suspicious of the ship in the sky, as it took off. He took out his goggles again and put them over his eyes to study the ships in the sky, and the one flying away. 

“Guys, these readings are really weird.” Don said, then he hit a button on the side of his head. The others glanced at him. “When I shift through the electromagnetic spectrum, it reveals that all those spaceships aren’t real. The ships, they’re fake.” Don declared. “Illusions.” 

“What just took the President then?” Mikey asked. 

“Well, that one’s real. The others aren’t. Someone’s trying to make everyone think there’s an invasion going on. Fake aliens. Fake ships.” Don explained. He bent down and took out his tech tab, along with the device he had recovered from the goo. He started to wire them together. 

Raph took the goggles and looked into the sky while Leo and Mikey were curious at what he was doing, but didn’t know. Randall figured he knew what Don was doing: going to figure out if it was a transmitter like he had said before. He knew the turtle was good at this. 

“Don, what are doing?” Mikey asked. “We have to go! The President!” 

There was now a blipping on the device. “I knew it! Someone was sending a signal to this thing. Someone was controlling those aliens.” Don declared. 

“Can you track the signal?” Leo asked. 

Don saw on his tech tab of where the signal was coming from. “Already done. We follow this signal, we find out whose behind this.” he said. 

“Oh, I hate this techno crud! Just show me what to hit!” Raph said impatiently. 

The turtles and Randall took off to find out where this signal was coming from across rooftops. They soon picked up on a truck that was being driven by some of Bishop’s cronies. They didn’t know if the man himself was in there. It was possible. 

Mikey wasn’t too ecstatic about facing Bishop again after what he had tried to do awhile back. Randall also still remembered nearly getting killed in his helicopter blast. It was time for some payback!

They all soon came to the edge of a building and were ready to leap onto the truck. “Here we go!” Don called out. They jumped onto the truck. 

“Eat feet!” Raph yelled as he kicked through the glass and into the driver’s head, knocking him out. 

The truck slammed on the brakes. It was stopped. Bishop knew something was up. Why would it stop? 

“Driver! Driver! Report!” Bishop began walking up to the front. The doors opened, and then out jumped an angry Raphael onto the man. “You!” 

Bishop got a hold of Raph’s wrists. The turtle continued to try to attack him. His men were going to shoot Raph, but Bishop said, “No! Don’t shoot. You’ll damage the equipment.” 

Leo was in there next and he sliced one man’s gun and gave him a big kick in the face, knocking him out. 

Don, Mikey, and Randall were still up on the roof of the truck. Don was examining the gear up there, a satellite dish. “Here’s our transmitter.”

“But, how do you shut it down?” Randall asked. 

“I suggest a foreword.” Mikey suggested. 

Don knew what he meant. He took his bo out and gave the dish a big hit, knocking it off the hinge. 

It was starting to get dark out, but it was still light enough out that the fake ships all disappeared when Don knocked the dish off. They were all proud of what they had done and smiled at one another. 

“Nice one, Donny.” Mikey complimented Don. 

In the truck, Leo and Raph were still fighting Bishop’s men. Most of them were unconscious and one man was left standing, and he wasn’t going to fight the lead turtle. Bishop was still standing too. They were all surprised when the truck’s power shut off. The one man took off out the back. 

“What is this?!” Bishop demanded. 

“Attention, people of the Earth. The alien invasion has ended. We just took out the satellite, and poof! No more alien ships.” Mikey announced. Mikey was upside down peeking in, with Don standing beside him. Randall was still up on top. 

“You did WHAT?!” Bishop pushed past Raph and went outside, pushing Mikey down on the way out. 

“No! NO! The spaceship was remote controlled via the satellite, you fool!” Bishop said angrily. 

That was now a mistake. They all looked up to the sky, and the saucer was plummeting to Earth! It was coming right at them!

“Nice one, Einstein.” Raph said to Don. 

They all yelled in fear and ran from the spot, not wanting to get smashed by the giant ship. Randall got off the truck and followed the turtles to the water’s edge. 

“Any ideas?” Raph asked. 

“Just one.” Don said. “Jump!” They all dived into the water. 

The truck driver managed to wake up in time and it got the truck out of the way just as the ship crashed into the port. 

Out in the water, the turtles and Randall didn’t stay down long. They came up to get some air. They saw the ship had crashed. 

“Yeah, that might have been a mistake.” Don said. 

“Ya think.” Randall said. 

Then they all swam back to the shore. They were going to see what was in there and try to rescue the President. Raph and Leo put a sword and sai in at the same time to pry the ship’s doors open. 

“I vote Don goes in first.” Raph suggested, as he was upset at his brother’s choice. 

Don did go in first. Randall brought up the rear. “I’ve never seen ships like this before.” Don said. “It’s not a warship. Ah!” He let out a cry when he came face to face with another alien, but, it was not moving. None of the others around it were either. 

“Um, why aren’t the slime brothers moving?” Mikey asked nervously. 

“Maybe they’re on a union break or something.” Raph guessed sarcastically. 

“I think that when the satellite went down, they just didn’t have any instructions, like robots.” Don explained. 

“Very astute, Donatello.” A voice said to the left of them. It was Bishop. He was now wearing battle armor. 

“Why, Bishop?! All these games!” Leo demanded angrily. “For what?!” 

“For the good of all mankind.” Bishop replied with an evil smile. “Haven’t you heard? I’m making the world a safer place. And on that note, I have to save the President.” 

They all glared at him. This man was nuts. 

“Are you that much a nut job? The only place you’re going is Painville.” Raph stated angrily. 

“I don’t think so. My pets are all rested and are in need of a few playmates.” Bishop said as he held a controller. He pressed the button and the aliens came alive again. “Play nice, boys. I have a job to do.” He said as he ran out of the room. 

“Slime time again.” Mikey whimpered. 

The turtles and Randall all took out their weapons again. Leo got in a first kick. “Raph! You and Don and Randall go after Bishop! I bet he’ll lead you straight to the President. Mikey and I will catch up.” Leo gave his orders. 

Don, Raph, and Randall took off in the direction Bishop had run off to. 

“Wait, they get to leave while I have to stay here and fight aliens that pop open like giant zits?” Mikey stated. He backed close to Leo. “Right now, Leo, I think your plan stinks!” 

Leo gave his little brother a look. 

Bishop was on his way to meet up with his men. He had started to say something as the two turtles and lizard caught up with him. Don was in the lead. 

Don leaped onto the man first, but Bishop grabbed hold of one of Don’s arms and started bashing him into the walls. Then he got him onto the ground. 

“You’re a fascinating specimen, but nothing must be allowed to threaten my work.” Bishop said as a machine gun type weapon appeared on his wrist. He started to aim it at Don. 

Don didn’t want to get shot and hoped his brother and friend got there in time. 

Just as Bishop was about to shoot Don, out of nowhere, Raph jumped onto Bishop. It made the gun started going off uncontrollably. Raph kept Bishop’s arms aimed away from them. Don had jumped out of the way and then went into help. 

The weight of their battle was starting to shift the ship. Randall got behind them, in the direction they were going to be going. Then their grips started to slide as the ship shifted downward. 

Randall gripped the wall. Don and Raph found their feet again, then Bishop tried to leap at them. He saw this. Using his tail like a whip, Randall whacked Bishop with his tail, knocking him down into a hole in the other wall. 

Bishop screamed as he fell down the hole. 

“Come on. We have to find the President.” Don said. 

“Wait. I wanna hear him hit bottom.” Raph said. 

“Intriguing idea.” Randall agreed. 

“Go! Go!” Then there was Mikey’s shouting. He and Leo came running around the corner, covered in slime again. An alien got a hold of Leo and he made sure Mikey got away. The alien blew up and exploded on him. Then he got up and ran some more. 

“What the shell are you guys doin?” Raph demanded as his brothers ran past them. 

There were growls coming from the other direction. More aliens were on their way. Don and Randall joined the other two while Raph was ready to fight them some more. “Raph! Come on!” Leo shouted back at him. 

“Aw! But I like it when they go pop!” Raph whined before following. 

The President finally woke up, but he found he didn’t like where he was. He was on a dissection table! Some of those aliens were around him, ready to dissect him!

“NO! What do you want? Say something.” He panicked, then heard something outside the room, by the doors. 

The doors crashed down, with Mikey falling onto an alien as it exploded, covering him in goo again. He began to get up. Mikey chuckled. “Uh, hi.” He could see the President was awake. “We are so busted.” he said as his brothers and Randall came up beside him. 

“We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we have to get him out of here.” Leo said. He began walking toward the table with one of his swords drawn. 

The President thought these creatures were aliens too. He panicked some more. “NO! No! Stay away!” 

Then, another door exploded. It was Agent Bishop and his commandos. 

“Agent Bishop! Those… aliens!” The President cried out. 

“I hope he doesn’t mean us.” Mikey said. 

“We’re here to save you, Mr. President.” Bishop said and he and the commandos started firing the guns they had in their hands. They destroyed the two aliens standing by the table. 

The turtles and Randall cried out and tried to avoid the shots by taking shelter beside the table. 

“This is messed up. We can’t let Bishop take the President, can we?” Raph asked. 

“If Bishop had wanted to hurt him, he would have already done it.” Don replied. 

“There’s more going on than we know. We have to get out of here.” Leo said. 

They all made a run for it. Luckily, none of them were shot on the way out. 

The President thanked Bishop. He was so grateful for the rescue that he said he would fund Bishop personally if he had to to keep aliens at bay. Bishop smiled evilly. This had been his plan all along.   
…………….

Back at the lair, the guys wanted to watch the news to see what had happened afterwards. Leo was still the most furious that this had turned out the way it had. They were all wore out from the day’s events. Leo stood behind the couch with his arms crossed while his brothers and Randall had the chair and couch. 

“Details are still coming in on the alien invasion.” The reporter said on the news. 

Don got off the chair and got near one of the lower televisions. The news announced that there was going to be more funding for the Alien Defense Force to keep up the work to keep the planet safe from aliens. 

“Money. This was all about money.” Don realized. 

Then the President was on the air. “I’d like to thank the Defense Force for rescuing me from those aliens. Rest assured, that these monsters will be hunted down.” An artist’s rendered picture came up of the turtles and even a lizard that really made them look like evil monsters. 

Their eyes all went wide. This meant trouble for them all!

“The alien threat is very real. We are only starting to find out how dangerous these aliens can be.” The President went on. 

But outside the lair, the goo that had been splashed onto the streets were now coming into the sewers. It was being pushed down by street cleaning trucks to start it off. It would be a surprise in what was to come of it much later. 

Later on, when Randall was ready to go home for the night, Leo called him over before he could go. 

“Guys, from now on, we all have to be really, really careful when we go out.” Leo instructed. 

“We know that, Leo. You’ve told us over a million times.” Raph said. 

“Yes, but now that we’ve been seen by the President of the United States has made even more of a difference.” Don agreed. 

“You know me. I can always vanish if I have to.” Randall said. 

“Yes, but if anyone were to be wearing what I wear sometimes, heat seeking glasses, Randall, they could possibly still find you.” Don explained. 

“I’ll be careful.” Randall said. “Can I go now? I’m tired.” 

“Yes.” Leo replied. He let the lizard go. 

Leonardo just wanted his family safe. He knew Don wasn’t much trouble on a mission, except when he wanted to examine technology too long. Raph was just always seeking a fight. And Mikey was often just too childish. 

When Leo had first starting acting more like Raph, he hadn’t minded at first, but now, well over five months after the rogue Foot’s incident, Raph was tired of his brother reminding him of himself. When was it going to end? 

Mikey really wanted his big brother back. The one who used to hang out with him sometimes, not just for training. Things had gotten worse and worse over the months, making him hang out with Randall even more. 

Don kept to his projects a lot more, but he too was worried about Leo’s behavior. 

The next day, Don began to study the goo that he had put in the vial. He also went to Leatherhead’s to have him take a look at it. 

“This is something that even I have never seen before, Donatello.” LH said as he examined the goo. “It is so alien.” 

“It’s hard to say what alien life it might have come from, but I’ll keep on studying it.” Don said.


	27. Dragons Rising

Randall waited a few days before he came back to the lair. April had seen the news too and she was worried about what had happened out there. She didn’t want authorities in her home looking for him or her friends. 

Leo was making his brothers train ultra hard in the training area when he came in from the sewer. He just stood by and watched. He went to join Splinter in the living area close by. The wise rat was watching his sons though. 

Randall saw the rat had a forlorn look on his face. “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” he asked. 

“Yes. I don’t know how to help my son. It makes me feel so helpless.” Splinter said. 

Randall wanted to talk to the lead turtle alone later on, when he was done with training. 

It was three hours later before Leo let his brothers leave from training. He was pushing them harder than ever before. Randall was glad he hadn’t joined in. Everyone was plenty sore and ready for a rest. They were all staying down below ground for a little while until the President’s order blew over a bit more. 

Raph went to go grab something to eat out of the kitchen. Mikey went to crash on the couch to catch his breath, where Randall and Splinter were. Don went to his lab after he caught his breath. 

Leo started to head to his room. He was tired too, but wasn’t about to let on about it. Randall watched him head in that direction. He was wary about doing this, but he had to know. 

Leo went into his room and sat down to meditate. Then, there was a knocking on his door. He knew it was Randall. He had sensed him following him. “Come in.” he said. 

Randall came into the room. “Doing meditation?” 

“Getting into it, yes.” Leo replied. 

“Leonardo, I know over these many months that something’s been bothering you. Ever since, you know, you just haven’t been like how you used to be. What is this all about, really?” Randall asked. 

Leo really didn’t want to think about it. “Don’t mention what happened. I just want to get away from that train of thought.” 

“At least I didn’t actually say it. I want you to know, that I have never told anyone about it either.” Randall said. 

Leo looked at him questionably. 

“If what brought this was because of… that, I know how it feels.” Randall said reluctantly. 

“How? How I felt my honor taken from me?! How I was violated!” Leo snapped at him.

“Yes! I know how it feels! When I was younger, back in my world, it happened to me too! It leaves you with the feeling that it was your fault somehow. You’re in pain, both physical and emotional. I never mentioned it happened to me because it was too painful to talk about, up until now. It’s not easy to get past the trauma of it. I was mad at the whole world for a long time. No one knew my pain. Or cared. Not that I was going to tell anyone about it either, at least up until what happened to you brought the memory back. It took place after college and a few years before the making of the Scream Extractor. It was part of why I was who I was too with my grumpy behavior. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t let it ruin your life.” Randall explained. “If you’re wondering who did it, it was just some monster who had a hate towards reptiles. He said so himself. I never saw him after that, but it made me hide my emotions even more to myself.” 

Leo didn’t know what to say. “Randall, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” 

“I know. That was my choice to hide it. I’m just saying that you’ll never forget it, and you need the time for yourself to heal from it. I didn’t exactly have that. At least you don’t have the demands of a serious job to go to every day to keep your home supported, as in the case of money, I mean. I couldn’t afford to take time off work.” 

“I have the biggest responsibility of this family, to keep it in line. Once Splinter had given me this honor as leader, it’s up to me to make sure they are safe. And I don’t want it to happen to them. And with Splinter getting older, if he wasn’t here anymore, it would fall to me to do the right thing, all the time, every moment of every day.” Leo explained. 

“I know. Of course, I never had quite the responsibilities that you have had, as a leader. You do often do a good job with it. At least you have given your brothers rules to follow that do make sense why. I’m agreeable to it. But, just think about what I said.” Randall said. 

“Thanks for your concern, Randall.” Leo said. 

“Let’s just keep this between us.” Randall suggested. 

“I wouldn’t tell unless you wanted me to.” Leo replied. 

“I don’t.” 

“Well, it is something we can agree on.” 

Randall didn’t know if it would get through to him, but he was glad he had had that talk with him. It had been on his mind for some time. He finally left the room so Leo could meditate. 

After the lizard had left him alone in his room, Leo felt bad that Randall had gone through the same thing. He had had no idea. Even the monsters he had met had never mentioned anything of it. But Leo still had to face being the leader of this family. 

Randall went over to Don’s lab next and asked him if he was studying that goo he had taken that other day. 

“Indeed, I have been, Randall.” Don said. 

Don went on to explain the compounds he had found in it and he had even shown it to Leatherhead. Randall wanted to study it too, should anything be needed. April didn’t come down as much as he did. 

Randall wasn’t much into biology studies, but it was something that he was thinking of taking up a little, as his mind just thirsted for knowledge. This was something he and Don could work on together. He even seemed to understand Don’s big scientific words, just as April and Leatherhead did.   
…………….

Even while Donatello was going over the chemical compounds of the alien DNA found from the goo, there was an announcement on the news about new research equipment that sounded very promising. He wished he could have that equipment. It was from a company called NeoTech. 

Even at home, Randall saw that announcement too. It sounded like something amazing. 

But it turns out that the Purple Dragons were interested in that equipment too, and skyjacked a plane with it on it. 

Don and Randall both were disappointed to hear it had been stolen. And then, a little over a week later, it happened again. 

And then, there was going to be a third shipment of it. 

On this night, Casey and Raph had wanted to play Poker with Master Splinter. Splinter was indeed interested in playing a game for once. He didn’t play games very often, but this was one of those times. At least even he was taking time away from ninja training. 

Casey was ready to give in. “Alright. Show me what you got.” he said. 

Raph showed his cards, Casey showed his, and Splinter showed his. “Read ‘em and weep.” The rat said. 

Casey and Raph looked over. “What the-? A royal flush?” Casey was stunned. 

“Aw, come on, Master Splinter, cut us some slack here.” Raph complained. 

Splinter took Raph’s tokens away. “If one cannot afford to pay, one should not play. Suckers!” he said in a playful voice, which was quite rare. 

Leonardo was once again training just about constantly, nearly all day for that matter. 

Mikey was busy putting some of his comic books into special plastic wrapping to keep them clean and in good condition. Then, his cat, Klunk jumped onto one. 

“Klunk, don’t sit on that. It’s very rare and hard to find.” Mikey pleaded with his cat. 

Klunk meowed and got off. “Good ninja kitty.” Mikey praised him. 

Then Leo stepped close to see what he was doing for a moment. “Hey, Leo. What’s up?” Mikey asked. 

Leo felt a little tickling on his lower leg, but took his focus back to training. He jumped up onto the bridge over the water. It spooked Klunk. Klunk had been rubbing his tail on his leg. 

“Sorry, Klunk. He’s Mr. Personality these days.” Mikey said. Klunk meowed again. “Yeah, I agree. I’m getting rather tired of it myself.” 

With Leo’s physical health now, the cover that had been on his stomach had come off and his plastron was just fine. It had some scarring that wouldn’t go away anytime soon. 

Randall had come down to help Don once again with something that he was working on in the train car lab. There was suddenly a beeping coming from his computer. There was an incoming message. Don went over to see who it was. 

It was April. 

“Hi, April. What’s up?” Don asked. Randall came over to see her too. 

“Hi, Randall.” she said. 

“Hi.” He waved. 

“Donny, you remember that equipment from NeoTech you were practically drooling over?” 

“You mean the tech gear I see in my dreams?”

“It seems you’re not alone. Turn on the news.” April said. 

Don grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. There was a report about the technology and it had been skyjacked last week, and now there was a new one coming in. 

The others all came over and watched the report too. “I have hunch as to who’s behind it. The Purple Dragons.” Leo growled. 

“I’m gonna go out and clip the Dragons’ wings! I hate them all! Are ya with me?” Casey said angrily. 

“I’m with Casey. Let’s go out and catch us some Dragoons!” Raph said, holding up a fist. 

“Sounds exciting and keeping them from getting their filthy hands on that gear.” Randall rubbed his hands together, smiling smugly. 

“I want that too. That gear deserves to be in better hands than theirs.” Don said. 

They were all in agreement to go out and stop this third skyjacking of NeoTech’s stuff. But first, they had to find where the big jerk offs were. 

They all went topside with the exception of Master Splinter. Even Randall was along. He was still wary of Leo’s temperament. 

Casey soon saw a punk on the street and went down to talk to him. 

“I heard you got the 411 on the Purple Dragons, so spill.” Casey ordered. 

“I’m not scared of you. I’m not telling you nothing.” The man said. 

Leo wasn’t going to take no for an answer on this. He lowered himself upside down on the fire escape they were on. He grabbed the man’s coat. “Let me talk to him.” he said. 

Leo took the man to a high building and had tied his hands and feet together, and hung him upside down off of a gargoyle on the side of the building. The man screamed in terror. Leo hung off the gargoyle too. 

“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me?” Leo asked smugly. 

“Fine! Fine! I’ll talk!” The man said. 

Everyone else was waiting impatiently while Leo had dealt with the man. Then, Leo surprised them when he jumped down on the dumpster. 

“They’re down by the Battering Tunnel.” Leo declared. 

Raph and Casey looked at each other. Leo must have done something good to make the man talk. 

They all got in the truck and traveled there. It was really late at night at the moment. About 1 am. When they got there, Don parked the Battle Shell and they all got out to go check out the hideout. 

“Turtles, Lizards, and gentleman, welcome to Fragrant, New Jersey.” Mikey said.

The hideout looked more like it belonged to rich people, not street punks. But then, the Dragons had moved on up from that. They were still street thugs and always would be. They made good on so many steals. 

“That’s the Dragons’ hideout?” Randall asked. He remembered dealing with the street gang in his own world and they had only lived in an old warehouse type of building. 

Then some trucks pulled out of the warehouse part of the building. 

“Looks like they’re gearing up for another scheme.” Leo said. “Don, you, Mikey and Randall follow us in the Battle Shell. Raph, Casey, you’re with me.” 

Don, Mike, and Randall went to go get back in the truck and do as they were told. Leo, Raph, and Casey went to sneak into the building. This shipment wasn’t going to get away this time. Don took off after the semis. 

Inside the warehouse, the two older turtle brothers and Casey stayed hidden and watched what was about to happen. Dragon Face and other Dragons got into helicopters and took off. They managed to hijack the last one. 

They made sure to sneak aboard and the pilots didn’t even know they were on board. They were going to stop the Dragons from mugging another shipment. 

The other Dragons were thrown onto a cart outside the copter. “Sorry, guys, but this copter’s full.” Casey said as he shut the door. 

One of the pilots had heard some racket in the back. “Hey, what’s happening back there?” he asked. 

“Nothing. Just one the guys forgot to strap in,” came the reply. Leo had answered. Now they could only wait until they caught up with the rest. 

Don had followed the semis to a spot near the East River and they had stopped, waiting for the cargo to arrive from off a plane. He parked the Battle Shell in the bushes. 

“I wonder how long it’s going to take before we get some action.” Randall stated. 

“It should be real soon.” Don said. “Just keep watching for boxes falling from the sky, or one of the others will let us know what happens next.” 

Randall hated the Purple Dragons just as much as the turtles did. He had never regretted killing the giant gorilla man that used to lead them. The turtles had been grateful to him for that, and so had Casey. Casey had hated Hun more than the others. 

Mikey was starting to get restless and bored. “Play the video games back there at the station, just until it’s time for action.” Don said. 

Mikey went and played some games. “Thanks, Don.”   
…………

Soon, the choppers caught up with a NeoTech plane. Using some flying skateboards, the Dragons boarded the planes, knocked out the pilots and began putting parachutes on the crates, and opened the loading gate and started shoving the crates out of it. 

Leo, Raph, and Casey used their copter’s boards too to get on the plane, and Casey had found a parachute before he followed his friends reluctantly off the copter. They managed to get on unseen. The Dragons were too busy unloading cargo to notice them. But they were now down to the last two boxes by the time they had got on. 

“We can’t let them get away with this.” Casey said. 

“Let’s clear the area first.” Leo said. He and the other two began pushing the boxes. 

The Dragons were unaware and taken by surprise as the last boxes came at them like they did. All the Dragons were pushed off the plane. 

Down below, when the crates had hit the water, Don let Mikey know that time was up. They had to start being ready for action as the semis would be getting the cargos and taking off. And they had to wait for their brothers and Casey. 

The plane was starting to go down. 

“We need to get off this thing!” Raph shouted over the loud decent. 

“I have a parachute!” Casey shouted, “in my golf bag!” He took it out and they all took a hold of it. 

“You think this thing can hold all three of us?” Raph asked. 

“We’ll find out.” Leo said. “Jump!” 

They all took hold of the chute and jumped. The plane continued on its way for a crash landing in the water. Once in the air, Leo pulled the deploy control and the chute opened up. It managed to hold all three of them. 

“Guess that answers our question.” Raph smiled. Even Leo had a smile on. But there was still more work to do once they landed. They just hoped to land on the trucks, or their own. 

“Leo, the convoy is moving.” Don said on his speaker. 

“On the way down now, Don.” Leo replied. 

Don hit the gas and he took off, following the trucks as they drove off with the stolen cargo. The other Dragons that had been pushed off had landed in the water or had deployed once they had been pushed off the plane. 

There was one Dragon who was a big guy, but not as big as Hun had been, who had landed on the roof of a truck as it was moving. He was ready to take those freaks down. He had dealt with them before. He was one of Dragon Face’s top henchmen. 

The two turtles and Casey got close to landing. Casey let go first and landed on the truck. The wind took Leo and Raph back up for a few moments. 

Casey tried to keep from being blown off the truck and the big man approached him. “You’re gonna pay for this, you freak!” he said angrily. 

The big man was just about to step on one of Casey’s hands when the two turtles came back down and gave him a big kick in the face and chest, sending him backwards. He landed on his back. 

Leo and Raph landed and held onto the chute. They took their weapons out. 

Behind the last semi, Don was in the Battle Shell, keeping up. “Leo and Raph just landed on that truck. Come on, Donny, get me up there.” Mikey said. 

Don gassed the truck and began to speed up. 

“I’ll help ya.” Randall said. 

“Thanks.” Mikey replied. 

Back on the semi, there was a plan to get Don behind them. Leo sliced their chute and the chute flew behind them onto the semi behind them, keeping him from driving straight because he couldn’t see. He started going all over the road. 

Don saw this coming and went around the other way, on the left. It now got them behind the semi the fight was taking place on. 

Raph threw the chute pack at the Dragon and he punched it away. Raph jumped over him, landing on the man’s chute, which he pulled up, making Raph lose his balance. He fell on his back. The man let his chute go and his chute was in the air again, and Leo charged in. The man used his chute pack to protect himself from Leo’s sword that went through it as Leo tried to skewer him. 

Then, the man kicked the turtle away, with the chute pushing Leo off the back of the truck. 

The others saw this happening from the Battle Shell. “We better get out there now.” Randall said. 

“Yep.” Mikey agreed. 

“I’ll go up first to make sure you don’t lose your footing.” Randall said. They went to the side door. Randall went out first. He got on top and wrapped his tail around one of the top armor plates on the truck’s roof. Then he helped to pull Mikey up there too. The two of them were now on the roof. 

Mikey then got onto the hood. Randall stayed behind him so he could have him as backup to hold on. Randall might have had his special sucker fingers and toes, but even he could still lose his grip on things too. He kept his tail wrapped around the armor piece for safe keeping. 

Raph regained his feet and fought the man, but he was kneed hard in the stomach, winding him and he was thrown back. Casey charged in next and tried to take him down. 

Don tried to get closer. “Leo, hold on, bro!” Mikey said from the hood. Leo was looking back, trying to anticipate when to let go of the semi and get onto his family’s truck. 

Randall had a hold of Mikey’s belt at the moment. He was watching Leo too. 

Don got closer. “Let go now, Leo!” Randall called out. 

Leo let go of the semi and Mikey caught him. Randall pulled a bit and Leo was now on board. “Thanks, guys.” Leo said. 

Behind them, the other man got out and pulled the chute off the windshield and the driver could see again. 

“Aw, shell! They got the parachute off!” Don complained. 

The semi caught up and even rammed the turtles’ truck. That got Don mad. “Get off of my shell!” Don said angrily. He pressed a button and one of the truck’s missiles rose up and took aim at the semi. Randall saw it happen. He was glad it wasn’t aimed at him. 

“Aw, crud.” The men said in the semi. They jumped out of the semi as Don’s missile shot into theirs, making an explosion and it went off the edge and into the water. 

Casey continued fighting the big man on the semi. He got him down almost face first on the hookup area between the truck and the trailer. Casey almost saw fit to let him slip off or push him off. But he remembered what his pa had told him once about doing the right thing. He didn’t let the man fall off and he pulled him up. He had also taken a piece of the man’s Dragon garb off in his hand. 

The man outsmarted Casey and left him hanging on that semi. When the driver of that semi saw what was going on, he jumped out the truck and it began to swerve. 

The man jumped onto the next semi and it took off with him. “So long, freak!” The man called out. 

With no one driving the current semi they were on, Casey and Raph knew they had to get off right now. “Raph, jump!” Casey ordered. 

Raph and Casey went to the back and saw their brothers waiting for them. Leo and Mikey had moved down lower. Randall had stayed on top of the truck. 

Raph was more likely to land safely, while Casey would need an extra hand. They both jumped onto the Battle Shell. Raph landed fine by himself. Casey landed next to him, but Randall and Leo got a hold of him just in case. 

The semi in front of them twisted at the front and then fell onto its side. Don saw this and immediately slammed his foot on the brakes. The semi stopped and rested on its side right in front of them just as Don got the truck to stop. Then the semi exploded. 

The rest of the convoy got away with the stolen cargo. 

Now that they were safely stopped, Randall came down from the roof and he and his friends went back into the back of the truck, except for Leo. Raph and Mikey got the two chairs in the back. Casey and Randall sat on the bench in the very back, waiting for Leo. Casey stared at the Dragon mark on the piece he had grabbed. 

Raph was wanting to just get the show on the road. “Come on, Leo! Get in!” He ordered. 

“Let’s go home, bro.” Mikey added. 

Leo stared angrily behind them with his arms crossed. Why couldn’t they ever fully stop the bad guys? 

“Now what?!” Raph yelled. 

“We didn’t finish the job! Again! We blew it!” Leo exclaimed angrily. 

“We did the best we could. At least we stopped half the convoy.” Don said. 

“Half! We stopped half! And only because we got lucky! Is that good enough for you?! Is it?! We’re always one step behind! We act like a bunch of amateurs! How many times are we going to get beat before you wise up and realize this isn’t a game?!” Leo yelled at all of them angrily. None of the others replied back. 

Then Leo stormed off toward the road’s edge. 

Raph didn’t want to wait for him. He closed the back doors. “Hate to admit it, but he ain’t wrong.” Raph admitted. 

Don started the truck and drove away from the wreckage. Leo heard them leave. He was in no mood to be around them. He would make his own way home when he was ready. 

While driving, Casey got up and went to the front. “Hey, Donny, drop by the cemetery. I got an important stop I gotta make.” 

Don listened and headed to the cemetery that Casey told him to go to. It was after sunrise when they got there. The three turtles and Randall got out of the truck to watch Casey go to a grave. 

Casey went to his father’s grave and laid the Dragon symbol on the grave site. “Hi, Pop.   
Brought you something. You spoke true, Pop. No matter what, you gotta stand up and do the right thing. But I guess I’m lucky, even when the odds are against me. I ain’t alone. I got friends. Good friends.” Casey stood up. 

The others stood at the edge of the cemetery. They all heard what he had said. That was touching. That was how Randall felt too about the others as well. Casey had never talked to him about his father before. 

When Casey went back to the truck, Raph got up front with Don. Casey took the other chair and Mike was in the other. Randall sat in his own spot. Don drove home. As they were going, Randall got up the courage to ask Casey, “What happened to your father?” 

“He was killed by Hun and the Purple Dragons.” Casey replied sadly. 

“Sorry.” Randall said. 

“What about your parents?” Casey asked. 

“I don’t know. I was too young to remember how they died.” Randall replied. 

“Sorry.” Casey said. 

That night had shown just how much Randall and Casey could really be friends too, just as much as the turtles. 

When they got back to the lair, they were all beat. Splinter had waited up for them. He had been concerned. He came out of his room. He wanted to make sure they were all alright. 

He counted them all with his eyes, but he saw one was missing. “Where is Leonardo?” he asked. 

“He got mad at us just because we didn’t stop all the convoy from being stolen.” Don replied. 

“He stormed off and we wasn’t in the mood to wait for him.” Raph said. “He’ll have to find his own way home.” 

“He needs the time alone to cool off.” Don said. 

“I can understand.” Splinter said. He was growing ever more concerned about Leonardo’s temper and behavior. Things just often happen that were out of their control. Why couldn’t he understand that? 

The others, even Don, went to bed. They knew that Leo could take care of himself. Even Casey stayed down here in the lair. The man took the couch. Randall took his mattress next to Don’s lab, but the lizard couldn’t sleep, at first.

Eventually, fatigue did get the better of him, and he fell asleep.   
…………..

Leo was so damn mad that they couldn’t have stopped the Dragons from stealing all the technology for their own evil purposes. After he stood and sulked for awhile, he began his long walk back to the city. He understood why his family had left him alone out there; to come to his senses on his own without yelling at them some more. 

The long walk home gave him the time he needed to think. But he was still so mad at the outcome of tonight’s fighting. He wished the Dragons would just disappear. They were nothing but an annoyance to everything. 

He knew that moving about in the daylight was risky. He found an empty water tower and stayed the day there. He didn’t feel like sleeping. His adrenaline was still too high. He had his shell cell with him if he needed help. He sat and meditated for awhile and when he came out of it, it was near lunchtime. He finally was calmed down enough for him to feel like sleeping. He laid down on the tower’s floor, closed his eyes to sense his surroundings, and felt nothing. He soon closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

At sunset, he was up and waited for the darkness. Once it was there, Leo took off for home. It was a long run across the city, but it helped him to let go of some more of that hard anger he still felt at everything. It was well into the night before he went to the sewers again and made his way back to the lair. 

The others were all awake by now and still waiting for him. They were a little worried that something had happened to him. Don checked his phone’s tracker and found he was getting closer to the lair. He was fine. 

The door soon opened and in stepped an angry looking Leo. He looked at the others and they all glared back at him. He returned it. He just went towards the bathroom for the moment. 

“I wonder where’s he’s been?” Mikey asked. 

“On a long run.” Don said. “Hopefully getting rid of that toxic energy he’s carrying around.” 

“I can’t deal with Leo being like this much longer.” Mikey said. 

“Neither can I.” Randall said. “And you guys thought I was bad.” 

“This can’t go on, I know.” Splinter said. He had thought of something, but he was only going to use it as a last resort. He would give Leonardo a few more weeks, and if something didn’t happen soon, a breakthrough, there would have to be the consequences for it.


	28. Still Nobody

Leo kept to himself for the next few days, letting his emotions calm down some more. He didn’t eat or sleep much, he just preferred to be alone and train with all his might. 

But soon, Splinter ordered Leo to take a break and get something to eat and rest himself. The turtle in blue reluctantly did so. 

Casey had gone home by now and hoped things worked out. Randall had stayed longer, but he decided to leave too in the end, taking a much needed break from Leo’s anger issues. 

Don got on his computer and looked up effects on people who had gone through a bad traumatizing event, and found that sometimes, people who have PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, could become their own worst enemy. Donatello had heard of it before, and never thought that his big brother had had it. This was distressing all the more, and he had no idea how to help his oldest brother. He was glad his physical injuries had healed at least. Leo wouldn’t hardly let even him get near him now. 

Leo’s behavior was just driving his friends and family further away from him. It was alienating him from others and making the others not like him as much. His bros and father still loved him though, no matter what. But Leo just wasn’t willing to open up to anyone. 

Randall was glad to be back at April’s home, in his own apartment. He decided he wasn’t going to the lair for awhile. He just hated being around that kind of intoxicating aroma of hatred. That’s what had changed him in the first place, beginning with his jerky fraternity so long ago, then some traumatic events over the years and competing too harshly with his rival on the Scare Floor, and the destruction of his machine and his illegal banishment. It had taken him so long to overcome that. 

He would be there if needed, but he just needed time away from Leonardo. He just hoped his behavior would change, and sooner the better.  
……………

Many days later, there began some new threats on the streets. A teenage boy called Jako was starting a new street gang called the Turks. 

He was a nasty one. He was a black boy who had a band-aid on his face and had one piercing on his lip and another on his left eyebrow. He also wore a white cloth tied on his head. 

Jako would beat up his own recruits if he saw fit. 

One of the turtles’ other allies, a former policeman who actually accepted them, who had only met Mikey and Leo once, and had Mikey’s phone number, was trying to stop the Turks. It was Nobody. There were many a witness that Jako had ratted out. 

One final time, and an old man had witnessed Jako beating the other boy. Jako was about to take the old man out too if it hadn’t been for police showing up. 

Help was called for the injured boy. A paramedic said he was lucky to be alive. Then the police interviewed the old man and gave him his name and address. 

Jako had listened on the conversation. He was going to make that old man pay for interfering in his business.  
……………

Leo had finally come around and talked to his brothers again, but he was still as stern as ever. He still sparred with his brothers and on this particular night, Randall had stayed at April’s, but Leo had ordered he and his brothers go topside and do some exercises outside the lair. 

After a good run, they went to a building’s skeleton as it was being built and they started doing pull ups. Leo wanted them to keep their arm strength up just as much as leg strength. He told them to turn their shell cells off so it would be not interrupted. 

Leo counted as they went along and wanted to get to 400. When they got over 200, a shell cell started ringing. 

Raph and Don checked theirs and they weren’t on. Leo already had his off. “Mikey, you left your shell cell on.” Leo reminded him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were going to be doing a pull up marathon, Mr. Grumpy Leonardo.” Mikey complained. 

Don hit Mikey on the head. “Ow!” 

“Don, don’t hit Mikey. That’s my job.” Raph said. He hit Mikey’s head too. 

“Hey! Do I look like a piñata?!” Mikey stated. He hated the hits on the head all the time. 

“Just answer your phone.” Don ordered. The ringing was getting on their nerves. 

Mikey picked up finally, “Talk to the turtle. Uh huh.” He said it many times before saying, “We’ll be there.” 

“Who was it?” Raph asked, annoyed. 

“Nobody.” Mikey replied. 

That was a questioning answer. 

“Leo, remember the guy in black, Nobody?” Mikey asked the leader. 

“Yeah. What about him?” Leo demanded. 

“He said he needs our help. I said we’d be at the location.” Mikey said. 

“We owe him for helping him last time.” Leo said. 

They quickly finished their pull ups and Mikey told them where to meet Nobody. They took off across town. They would start over on pull ups later.  
……………

The turtle brothers took to the sewers and followed Leo to where he knew the location was. He had been familiar with it the most, going there on some of his lone runarounds. They soon stopped and got out of the sewers and ran over to what looked like an old, abandoned building. 

“You sure this is the place?” Raph asked. 

Then a punk kid came flying out of the building, crashing through the two boards that were on the entryway. He got up and started running away. Nobody jumped out next and started giving chase. The punk kid took out a laser gun and started firing back at him. 

Nobody jumped into an alley to avoid being shot. Then the boy took off again. 

“Come on! He’s getting away!” Mikey declared. He and his bros took off after him, but when a rope fired out in front of them, they had to stop. 

“Let him go!” Nobody shouted and pulled his rope back to him. 

“You’re slipping, Nobody. That punk kid almost took you out.” Leo said. 

“I told him to.” Nobody, a man in a black costume and cape, started walking down the alley so he could talk more in private. The turtles followed him. “He’s my informant. Goes by the name X-ray. That performance you witnessed was just in case anyone was watching.” he explained. “X-ray’s infiltrated a dangerous new gang called the Turks. But they’re beginning to get suspicious.” 

He stopped at an apartment building and fired his rope up to the top. “Follow me.” and he reeled himself up. The turtles climbed up the building and met him at the top. 

Nobody continued as they arrived up there. “The Turks plan to take care of an old man who saw their leader try to take out a gang member who they thought was an informant. He plans to take care of the old man, tonight.” he explained. 

The guys knew they had to be a part of this. They couldn’t let that happen. Then Nobody slipped behind the shed and got out of his costume. He changed into a police suit. “If we can stop them, I think we can shut down the whole gang. I know some of these kids. Most of them aren’t half bad. It’s their leader, Jako. I need extra eyes and ears; ones I can trust.” 

“A stakeout!” Mikey said excitedly. “Cool!” 

“Something like that. I’m going to check on the old man. He lives right downstairs. Wait here, I’ll be back.” Nobody said. 

The turtles hoped their friend had a good plan on how he was going to help this senior citizen. 

Nobody caught the man as he was walking out of his apartment before he could knock on his door. He told him he was from the Witness Protection Program. 

“I have to get you out of here for your own protection, Sir. You and your wife. I know the gang plans to visit you here tonight. I have to get you to safety.” 

“Why, yes, Sir. Of course. Just let me get my wife.” The man said. He went back into the apartment and told his wife what was going on. She agreed that they should go. 

Nobody also told them that he had special backup helping him out as well. They would be taking their place in their apartment to help take down the gang. He got them out just in time, and the turtles went over the plan with him before all they could do was wait. They were taking shelter in a hidden spot in the super’s office. 

Don and Mikey would be taking the man and woman’s places in the apartment while Leo, Raph, and Nobody waited on the roof. Nobody was now back in his costume. The turtles did go back to the lair and get their modes of transportation.

Within a couple of hours, the Turks showed up on their doorstep, while on the street, X-ray was cornered by some other Turk members, who said that Jako wanted to talk to him. He knew what it meant: he was in trouble. 

In the apartment, four Turks broke in to take care of what they were sent for; to take care of the old man. They had seen him come back into the building after getting a paper. The punks saw a couple sitting on a couch, but they didn’t acknowledge them. 

“Hey! You old farts deaf or something?!” A brown haired one wearing a yellow shirt with a cue ball number 9 on it snapped at them. He had a crowbar in his hand. He lowered the newspaper that was what he thought was the old man, and instead, there was a green face in his place. 

“Evening, boys.” Donny greeted them. “Shall we, Granny?” He had tried to change his voice to an elderly tone so to speak. 

“Why yes, Grandpa.” Mikey replied in a female-like voice. 

Don and Mikey struck out and fought back against the gang members. They each were thrown about some and Don even found himself being held by the shirt against a closet, about to be punched hard by one. Mikey saw this and threw a un-open can of soda into his head, knocking him out and down. 

“Nobody manhandles my husband.” Mikey joked. 

There was one gangster, the one in the yellow shirt, that got out when he realized they had been played. It was a possible setup to be arrested. He wasn’t going to jail! “I’m out of here!” Then he jumped out the window and fell into the dumpster below. He got out and went running for the car. 

Don saw it and called Leo. “Grandpa to Green Sleeves. Everything is going as planned. One of them is on the move.”

Leo and Nobody were on the roof and saw the punk get in his car and drive off. Raph was down on the Shell Cycle in an alley across the street. Leo called him, “Raph!” 

“Already on it.” Raph growled and fired up the motorcycle. He took off after the car first. 

Leo and Nobody got down off the rooftops and went to where the Battle Shell was parked. They landed safely and got in. Leo drove the truck and followed as well.  
…………….

At the Turks’ hideout, X-ray was being questioned by Jako. He had been found out. Now he was going to be in trouble, that was before they heard squealing tires outside. One of their other members ran in. 

“Jako! It was crazy, man! These green aliens! They were trying to abduct us or something!” The boy exclaimed in a terrified voice. 

Jako grabbed him. “Was it the caped freak? Did he follow you here?! Did he?!” he demanded. 

Leo and Raph were hot on the trail. “That’s the hideout up ahead!” Leo told Raph. Nobody had gotten onto the Battle Shell’s roof. 

“Open the door, Leo, and let me in.” Raph ordered. 

Nobody jumped upwards just as Leo was going to ram into the building. He got the armor ready and rammed into a boarded wall and they were inside. They were ready for action. 

The Turks heard car and motorcycle noises outside their main room. Jako ordered the Turks to get their weapons, which were guns. 

Just as they spread out and were ready to fire, Raph sped into the room. Leo had gotten out of the truck and got up higher. Two Turks were about to fire on Raph when Leo jumped down from the ceiling pipes and sliced the front of their guns, making them now useless. 

Jako threatened to shoot X-ray if they didn’t surrender. More Turks surrounded them from above, aiming their guns on them. 

“Smoke these… whatever they are! Smoke ’em!” Jako ordered. 

The Turks started firing. 

Leo and Raph didn’t surrender and Raph sped around to not be shot. Leo slid under a pool table and went under the stairwell. Raph rounded a corner and drove the Shell Cycle up the stairwell.

Nobody then jumped down on some of them and distracted them long enough and they saw Raph coming at them. Some jumped over the railing, and Raph pushed the last one down. 

Down below, Turks were still firing at Leo. Raph stopped his bike and jumped down to assist his brother. He knocked the first two out by grabbing them and slamming them together. Then he fought the last guy, the one with the yellow shirt. 

“Nine ball, huh?” Then he swung him down hard on the pool table. “How about nine ball, corner pocket?” He made a funny. 

Nobody was up on the pipes on the ceiling and he went over to rescue X-ray. He was still standing by Jako. He used his rope hook to reel him up and away from danger. 

Jako had been firing towards Leo and he was taken aback when X-ray went up into the air. “What the-?” He started firing up toward the ceiling. 

Nobody caught X-ray and led him over to an exit point on the roof. “Sorry for cutting it so close, X-ray, but you did good.” Nobody said. 

“Thanks, Boss.” X-ray thanked him. 

“Alert the police.” 

“On it.” X-ray ran off to go find a phone. 

Nobody closed the vent and went back to action, to take care of Jako. He was still looking for Nobody. Even Raph and Leo had stopped fighting, as they had taken out the other Turks. 

Nobody snuck up and punched Jako in the ribs, winding him. He fell to his knees. 

“What are you all waiting for? Waste him!” Jako ordered. 

The other Turks stood up. Leo and Raph were waiting for their next move. 

Nobody spoke up, “Listen to me, all of you. You don’t have to follow this punk, Jako. All you’re going to have is a short life of fear and violence that leads to a tow-tag at the city morgue. You know it’s true. I can see it in your eyes.” He did see doubting looks on the boys’ faces. “It’s not too late. You can walk away. Just walk away.” 

Of course, they didn’t want that. Maybe what this guy was saying made sense. One of them looked at his fallen leader. 

“What’s you waitin’ for?! Waste him!” Jako ordered. 

The boy hated that order. He did the opposite. He dropped his gun. The other Turks did the same. Jako was shocked that they would go against his orders. Then, they all took off the Turks jacket. 

Leo and Raph smiled at one another. They were making the right choices to walk away. 

“It’s over, Jako. Your Turks have wised up. You’re on your own.” Nobody said. 

Jako wasn’t going to let that stop him. “I don’t need them losers anyway, because I’m Jako!” He backed over to a wooden crate and opened it up and took out a bazooka. 

That had the other boys terrified. The boys took off for the exit. 

“I don’t need you, you pack of losers!” Then Jako turned the bazooka on Nobody. He pulled the trigger and Nobody ran to avoid the missile released. He jumped upwards and the missile hit the wall. 

“So much for the big guy. Now, for the help.” Jako then took aim and fired on Leo and Raph. 

Leo and Raph jumped away from the missile and it too, ended up in the wall. 

“Ha! A little wide. But I won’t miss you freaks again!” Jako remarked evilly. 

The two turtles started running for cover towards the exit. 

Nobody let his rope go up and it reeled him over the smoke, and he went down and shot the rope onto the next missile that was released at him, and he caught it with his rope and twisted it back at Jako. Jako fired back. 

Leo and Raph got to the exit. “Raph! We’ve got injured!” Leo shouted. “Let’s get him outside.” Leo picked up the boy and carried him outside. Raph helped him. 

They set him down outside against another building. “I hope Nobody’s okay.” Raph admitted. 

Inside, there was fire burning. Jako was looking around for Nobody. “You best be hidin’ hero man.” Then a rope came down out from the pipes above and it pulled the bazooka up out of Jako’s reach. 

“No!” Jako cried out in shock. 

Nobody then jumped down and kicked him in the ribs again. 

“No! Who… who are you, man?” Jako cried out in fear. 

Nobody picked Jako up by the shirt and jacket. “I’m Nobody.” he said before he punched Jako in the face. It knocked him unconscious. He then put handcuffs on him. 

Soon, there were sirens coming. Police cars and fire trucks alike. 

Nobody and the two turtles went back up to the rooftops and watched the action. Leo called Don and told him and Mikey to rejoin them. It was over. 

“Well, that’s that.” Raph stated.

“I think we did some real good here today. Without Jako, those kids stand a better chance at a better life.” Nobody said. Jako had woken up and was being led and put into a police car, under arrest. 

“I’d still like to know who hooked Jako up with that mini arsenal.” Leo said. 

“So would I.” Nobody agreed. 

Then Don and Mikey joined them. Mikey was still wearing the old lady’s outfit. 

“Mikey, you can lose the dress now.” Raph pointed out. 

“Why? Do I look fat in this? Tell me the truth now, I can take it.” Mikey said. 

“I’m just glad Mikey stopped referring to me as his husband.” Don admitted. 

“It was just for during the stakeout, Donny-boy.” Mikey stated. 

“I get that, Mikey, but I am not now, nor will I ever be your real husband.” Don made his point. 

They all couldn’t help but laugh at that. Even Leo.  
…………….

Karai was still the turtles’ ally, even though they hadn’t heard from her in a long time. Not since the night of Leo’s rescue from the rogue ninjas. 

Yogami had escaped Karai’s custody and managed to start up a new ninja group, far away from Karai’s headquarters. It was outside the city’s limits. The organization had grown really big. 

The Purple Dragons were associated with them. Dragon Face ordered one of his top henchmen to scratch off Jako and his Turks as possible recruits to their cause. 

Yogami was preparing his ninja clan, the Dark Dragons, for the total destruction of the turtles, and real soon. He had the technology to do it with his scientists. 

At the real Foot headquarters, Karai was creating a special library to her father in his honor, although she had no plans to go after the turtles. She just wanted to honor her father for the way that she had seen him, as a humanitarian.


	29. All Hallows Thieves

After dealing with the Turks, Don needed Randall's help on the alien compounds again. He wanted to be prepared in case something happened because it was so alien.

When Randall entered the lair in as many days, he just stayed clear of Leonardo.

Leo was training again, as usual. He stayed out of Randall's way.

While they were studying the compounds some more, Don recounted the events of what happened with the Turks and the old couple.

Randall could see them taking their places in disguises, and even he found it amusing when Mikey had called Don his husband.

Splinter sat in his room, knowing he had to do something about his son, Leonardo. Then, he thought of someone who Leo really trusted and respected with his life. Maybe he could reach him. Someone had to be able to.

The wise rat left his room and told Don and Randall that he had to leave for a bit and he would be back soon. He wanted them all to stay in the lair.

Splinter went topside by himself and made sure he hadn't been followed. He drew up the symbols and he went the Battle Nexus, where he spent some time with the Daimyo and his son, before needing to head to the second Earth, as the Gelgi had called it. It was the dimension of Miyomoto Usagi.

The Daimyo located Usagi with his war staff. He had found him just relaxing with Gen for an evening. The Daimyo gave Splinter a piece of scroll with the symbols on how he could get back to his own world after that, with the incantation on it as well, written in Japanese.

"Thank you, my friend." Splinter said.

"It is always good to see you, Splinter-sensei. I wish you well in helping Leonardo." The Daimyo said. Then he created a portal for him to cross through to Usagi's world.

"I hope we'll see each other again real soon." Splinter said.

"Good journey." Daimyo said.

Splinter stepped through.

Usagi and Gen were having their evening dinner when a portal opened up in front of them. They were stunned at this. Who would be coming through? They dropped their food and prepared for a fight.

They relaxed when they saw who it was that stepped out.

"Master Splinter?" Usagi asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Miyomoto Usagi. I am happy to have found you." Splinter said.

"Why is that?" Gen asked, grumpy at having his meal disturbed.

"How is your family?" Usagi asked.

"Their health is physically fine, but it is my son and your friend, Leonardo, who I am worried about. I have come on his behalf." Splinter stated sadly.

"What has happened?" Usagi asked.

"Many months ago, Leonardo was captured and tortured by some enemies of ours. He hasn't been the same since then. He over trains himself, barely seeming to rest himself. He has a harsh temper, and it is putting a strain on the relationship with him, me, his brothers, and our friends. Even Randall." Splinter explained sadly.

Usagi was concerned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes. Do you think you can come to my home again and see if you can reach him?" Splinter asked.

"I would be happy to help. Gen and I have to finish a small errand for the Shogun first, and then we will be along. It shouldn't take no more than a week." Usagi said.

"That will work fine, Usagi-san. Thank you." Splinter said with a smile. He hoped this would work for Leonardo's sake.

Splinter stayed for a few hours just talking and had some dinner with the two of them. Gen agreed to come too. He wanted to see the city of New York. Splinter said that maybe his sons could take him on a tour of the city they lived in, to show them what it was like.

After the few hours were up, Splinter was shown to a high rock and he drew the symbols. Usagi took note of them before Splinter said the incantation and it sent him back home.

The next day in their dimension, Usagi and Gen's trail were picked up on by an assassin warthog's. But it didn't stop them from completing their mission.

…..

When Splinter returned home, at breakfast the next morning, Splinter told his sons that they were going to be expecting company in the next few days.

Leo was suspicious as to who it was. He was just very wary of new visitors at a time like this in his mental state even more so.

"Who is it, Father?" Leo asked.

"A surprise." Splinter said.

"So, it's someone we know?" Mikey asked.

"Yes." Splinter replied.

That could let them relax more. They just wondered who it was.

…

It was now the end of October once again.

While waiting for the surprise visitors, the holiday of Halloween came on again in New York City.

The guys all loved Halloween, except Leo. Once again, the turtles were preparing for it.

One day, at April's shop, there was man who was interested in the gold six-armed statue that was up on a high shelf. Most people thought it looked creepy and ignored it, but it was perfect to him.

Randall had had a headache that day and was downstairs sleeping, or at least trying to.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" April asked.

"Yes, Madam. I am very interested in that statue behind you. It takes a special eye for some uncommon beauty." The man said as he was holding the statue.

"I'm glad you're interested. It's been sitting here awhile." April said.

"Yes, well. I unfortunately left my wallet back at the hotel. Could you hold it for me?" The man asked. He was kind of a creepy guy.

"Sure." April replied.

The man turned to leave and then the alarm blared. April hurriedly turned the alarm off. "Oh, sorry about that. The alarm keeps going off for no reason." she said.

The man was annoyed. "Yes, well, Madam, I bid you adieu." Then he stepped out and met up with his associate.

"After all these years, Argie, I have found the thieving god idle. And I am the King of Thieves." The man said too proudly.

The man even stole another man's wallet on the street.

Argie noticed the wallet. "Aren't we going to use that money to pay for idle?" he asked.

"Of course not. It must be stolen." The man said.

"Of course." Argie agreed. He knew his boss had worked for his title as King of Thieves.

Back at the shop, Randall had heard the alarm go off and knew it needed to be fixed. But right now, he had such a migraine that he had to get some rest. He hoped to be well enough for later on tonight. He didn't want to miss the Halloween go out.

April had pumpkins ready for carving for the turtles and Randall. She and Casey were going to go to a costume party tonight as well.

After the man had left, he had never come back. It was always the customer's choice.

Later that evening, Randall was just waking up as the turtles made their way inside the basement. Mikey came into the room.

"What's up, Randall?!" Mikey surprised the lizard.

"Ah! Don't do that!" Randall jumped on the bed, holding his chest.

"Sorry. It's Halloween tonight, bud. Let's go do the pumpkins!" Mikey was so enthusiastic.

"I just got over a bad migraine. Fine. Just please keep your voice down." Randall begged. He got off his bed, grabbed his own laser tool, and went upstairs with Mikey following. Leo, Don, and Raph were already up there.

April gave them all a pumpkin to carve up as they saw fit.

Don was happy to use his laser.

Raph loved to use his sai like knives.

Mikey used a blade that he had gotten from the Battle Nexus.

Leo had a pumpkin, but he barely paid any attention to it. He kept on training in the living room.

Randall seemed a little slower tonight than he usually did. He began making a monster face on his pumpkin. He watched Leo training over his area. He didn't touch his pumpkin.

In her room, April got dressed up for the party. This year, she was going as a black cat. She walked out of her room. The guys knew she and Casey were going to a party tonight.

"Well, guys, what do you think?" April asked.

The guys all looked over at her.

"Wow." Raph said.

"Cool." Mikey answered.

"Looking good." Don replied.

"Awesome look." Randall added.

Leo didn't say anything, but he had looked.

"Man, I just love Halloween. It's the one day of the year when a turtle can just walk around and, just be a turtle." Mikey said.

Then there was a knock at the door. April went and answered it. It was Casey. "Hi, Casey." April was disappointed when she saw her boyfriend wasn't dressed up.

"Whoa, I'm diggin' the new duds, April." Casey greeted.

"Casey, I thought we were both going to be wearing costumes to the party." April pointed out.

"That is his costume, April." Mikey said.

"Yeah, every day of the year is Halloween for Casey Jones." Raph joked. He and Mikey shared a laugh.

"And that's comin' from a couple of green guys who wear masks every day of the year." Casey retorted with a giggle. "Come on, April, let's go."

"Happy Halloween, guys." April said and she and Casey walked out the door.

Raph and Mikey shared a confused look after Casey's comeback, then went back to their pumpkin carving.

Mikey just finished up his and tied a blue mask around it. "Hey, look. A Leo-O-Lantern." Mikey joked.

"You got his charming smile downright." Raph added.

When Leo saw it and walked over, putting his katanas away, he wasn't too pleased with the joke.

Randall saw the look on Mike's pumpkin too and smiled as well. That practically was Leo's smile anymore, if he would ever bother smiling at all.

Then, from downstairs, the alarm went off again. "Not again." Randall groaned. He held his head.

"What's wrong, Randall?" Don asked.

"I had a headache all day long. It went off earlier today too, like four times." Randall complained.

"Don, I thought you fixed the alarm in April's shop." Leo stated.

"He fixed it too good. Now it goes off all the time." Raph said.

"April and Casey probably set it off by accident." Don said, then he looked at Mikey. "Come on, Mikey. It's your turn."

"Alright, keep your shell on. I'm going. But later, I get first dibs on bobbing for apples!" Mikey got up and went to the spiral staircase and surfed down the railing. "Wahoo!"

When Mikey landed on the floor below in the shop, he saw that there were robbers! Three of them! They were all in costumes.

One was wearing a witch/warlock costume. The second wore a werewolf/wolf man costume. The third had the Sleepy Hollow Headless Horseman look, with a Pumpkin for a head.

Mikey screamed in fear.

The robbers turned around and approached him. "Aren't you guys a little old for trick or treat?" Mikey asked.

The wolf man ran up to Mikey with a bat ready, but Mikey put up his right arm in a block, grabbed the bat, and kicked the wolf man in the stomach, sending him back into the cylinder.

Mikey twirled the bat in his hand. "Tsk. Tsk. Certainly aren't pros." Then he started showing off some kung fu moves.

The last two robbers tried to charge next. Mikey threw the bat into the Pumpkin man's face, knocking him down first. Then the warlock tried to hit Mikey with an antique lamp.

Mikey did a handstand and kicked him with his feet, kicking him away. He stood up, rubbing his hands as if they had dirt on them. "Clumsy and untrained. And I give you a D on your Halloween costumes."

The Pumpkin head man picked up the bat that was near him and threw it up high above the turtle. It connected with a bicycle that was hanging on the ceiling. It fell from the ceiling and fell down on the back of Mikey's head and shell. He cried out.

From upstairs, the others heard the racket and Mikey's cry of pain.

"Michelangelo?! Are you alright?" Leo asked from upstairs.

The Pumpkin Head robber jumped up onto the counter and grabbed the six-armed statue that the King of Thieves had held earlier in the day while Mikey was rubbing his head, sitting on his knees.

When Mikey didn't answer Leo's question, they grew concerned. They all got up and went downstairs to check on him. If he was in a fight, he could be hurt.

They made it downstairs just as two thieves were running out the front door. Mikey was still recovering from the blow he took on the head. Leo saw there was one left behind. Don and Raph went over to help Mikey stand. Randall stood beside Raph.

"You okay, Mikey?" Raph asked in concern.

"Yeah, never better. I think they grabbed something. Then they got away." Mikey replied. He gave his head one last rub.

Randall knew that Mikey would probably now have a headache too. Same boat kind of thing, almost.

"Not all of them." Leo said furiously. He grabbed the wolf man by the shirt. "What are you after?!" he demanded angrily.

"Nothing, freak!" The man retorted.

Leo let go of him and pushed him back into the glass wall. He took out his swords and made several slashing motions while making angry sounds. The others gasped, even Randall.

The man's wolf mask fell from his face, leaving a bald headed face with little dark hair on the chin.

Leo grabbed the man again. "I'll ask you again; what are you after?!" he growled at him.

"Six-armed statue. We were supposed to grab it for this guy at the Blue Star Hotel, fifth floor, that's all, I swear!" The man confessed.

Leo turned to the others. "Let's move! Looks like we have some of April's property to collect!" he ordered.

Leo's method sure had got a confession real quick out of the thief. Leo took some rope out of his belt and tied the man's hands behind his back and tied him to a pole in the shop.

Don called the police. This guy, if not all of them, was not getting away with robbing the shop. The turtles and Randall all took off for the hotel while police were on their way.

On the way out, Randall made sure to vanish, as he was sure that even humans could tell there was no way for him to be in costume, with his four legs and serpent-like look.

But on the way to the hotel, Mikey and Raph wanted to stop for caramel apples.

…

At the Blue Star Hotel, on the fifth floor, where the King Thief man and Argie were in their room, there was a knock at the door and they turned, the two robber men walked in. They took off their masks, revealing some good bruises from their fight with Mikey.

"What happened to you?" the boss asked.

"Some security guard or something in a frog costume. But we got your statue." The one who had wore the warlock costume said. He took it out and handed it over.

The King took it from him. "Excellent! At last, after all these years, I have the Thieving God Idle! It will fulfill my destiny as the descendant of the King of Thieves!"

…

The turtles and Randall were still on the way to the hotel.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would the robbers just grab a statue of April's and nothing else?" Don asked aloud.

"What doesn't make sense is why we stopped for caramel apples?!" Leo snapped.

"That's easy, Leo. Because it's Halloween!" Raph replied happily.

"Yeah! Do you think we have time for some trick or treating?" Mikey asked.

Leo growled. Why couldn't they take this seriously? "No! Try to focus. We can't let a bunch of street thugs break into April's and steal. We've got to get that statue back." he explained why this was serious.

Randall knew all too well to take it seriously. Then some kids crossed their paths, not seeing him though.

One was dressed at the Silver Sentry, and the other was as a zombie with a hat.

"Yo! Cool costumes." The one in the Silver Sentry costume complimented them.

"Thanks. You too." Mikey replied. It was clear some young kid knew who to admire for being a hero to the city.

"Gotta love Halloween." Raph added.

They continued on. Soon, they reached the hotel. Mikey and Raph had finished their apples by then and thrown the sticks away in the lobby. There were some humans that questioned their looks as they past them by, but knew it was Halloween. Anyone could be anything they wanted to be.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor, going on the man's information from the shop. He had told them also two possible room numbers before they left as well.

Don went to the first door that was suspected to be where the boss thief was. "This should be it." he said. He knocked on the door, and they all braced for a fight. But the person who answered the door wasn't who they thought it was.

A little old lady had replied to the knock on her door. "Oh, how cute." she said. "Say trick or treat."

"Trick or treat." Don, Mike, and Raph said in unison. Leo gave a hard glare. Don whimpered.

The lady gave some candy to the three of them who put their hands out. At least they got some candy.

"Awesome! Choc-o-plenties! These are my favorite!" Mikey said happily. "We have to keep doing this."

"Remember when Master Splinter used to take us trick or treatin?'" Raph asked.

"Definitely. It was the best day of the year. We'd get enough candy to last for months." Don explained.

"Except for Mikey. He'd eat all his the next day and then get sick!" Raph said and made a sick sound and laughed.

Randall had listened intently. At least these guys had had some good aspects of what a real childhood should be, at least on Halloween. They had a father that had taken them out to have fun. He hadn't had any of that growing up. At least no fun grown up to take care of him.

"Guys!" Leo snapped. "We're in the middle of something here! The statue!"

The others came back to the present. "Uh, right. Sorry." Don realized. "Next door."

They moved to the next door. Don prepared to knock again, but Leo grabbed his hand before he could. Don looked at him. Leo smiled at him and winked. That was something he hadn't done in a long time. It meant to 'Leave it to Yours Truly.'

Leonardo kicked the door open with a loud bang! The turtles and Randall went into the room. Randall also went in too, but stayed cloaked for the moment.

Inside the room, there were two men, one had turned to them, while the other was saying a spell. He must have been the head man.

Argie took out a knife. "Hey, boss. Boss." he said in a concerned tone that they had intruders.

Leo threw a shuriken and it knocked the knife out of his hand.

The King finally turned around. "What kind of creatures are these?" he asked.

"Hand over the statue! It doesn't belong to you!" Leo demanded furiously.

The man looked at it, and back at them. "I know. I took it. For you see, I am the King of Thieves!" The man introduced himself, even though it wasn't an official name, just a title.

"Uh huh, sure." Randall said. He had climbed onto the ceiling.

"Ookay." Don said, unsure.

"More like the King of Tacky Bling!" Mikey said in comeback.

The King of Thieves then continued his sorcery spell. The statue began to glow with the chanting and it sent out a red line that went out the window. Something was happening!

It made the reptiles wonder and gasp at what was going on.

Some bat-like creatures started coming out of the red line! Gremlins!

The Gremlins started to attack the turtles. They began trying to use their weapons to defend themselves. Some of the Gremlins grabbed their arms and restrained them. One of them even bit Raph on the bicep.

It gave the thief king and Argie enough time to get out while the turtles were distracted.

Randall wasn't sure what to do for a moment to help his friends. He wasn't seen at the moment, but he got down and punched some away from them and whacked some in the face with his tail while still invisible. He just didn't want to be attacked and bitten too.

More Gremlins kept coming out of the line.

Once Leo was free, he put his swords away. He jumped onto the dresser and grabbed the lamp that was on it and threw it at a Gremlin. It hit one, but it was only one. Leo tried to estimate their odds of beating these things.

Other Gremlins blocked the door.

"We need to get out of here!" Leo exclaimed and he pulled his katanas out again. He jumped off the dresser as the Gremlins started coming at him again. He jumped onto a bed and started slicing at the wall, making a hole in it, just big enough for his brothers and Randall to escape through it.

Without realizing it, Randall reappeared after landing another blow to a Gremlin before he followed his friends out of the room.

The turtles all fell to the floor out in the hall. Randall got out and stood over his friends, but looked over their heads. There was a bald man out there, staring at them in a shocked way.

They got up. "Sorry. Cheap hotel." Mikey remarked. Then they all turned tail and ran. "Uh, Happy Halloween!" Don called back to the still shocked man.

They got on the elevator and went down to the bottom.

Outside, the red line turned into a red hole in the sky, letting out lots of more Gremlins. They flew down and started harassing people and breaking into stores and apartments alike, stealing stuff.

"Yes, my little thieves! Steal everything you can!" The King ordered.

It didn't matter if it was a TV, fridge, or jewelry. They were stealing masters.

The turtles and Randall finally got to the bottom and ran out of the lobby. They all gasped at the scenery before them. This wasn't right. They looked around and saw the men responsible across the street.

"There they are. Come on!" Leo ordered. His bros and lizard bro followed him.

Argie looked over and saw them coming, "Those creatures! They're still following us, boss."

"Don't worry, Argie. The power of the Idle is more than enough to deal with them." The King said and they took off, heading for an alley.

The five friends went after them.

The King and Argie got further into the alley and the King set the statue on a dumpster and he started another spell. "I will summon the Thieving guy himself!" and continued chanting.

Evidently, the statue's name was Kleptonus.

The turtles and Randall caught up with the thieves. They were ready to fight the thieves and get the statue back, but what they saw arise was a little more shocking. They all had shocked looks on their faces.

The gold statue started to rise and get bigger! It started to turn blue.

"Aw, man. I hate magic!" Raph admitted.

The statue was finally done being summoned by the man. It was HUGE!

"That's April's statue?" Randall asked.

"You'd think she would have been asking more money for it." Don stated.

The King was still on his knees. "Magnificent!" he declared. Then he looked over at the five reptiles and stood up.

"Kleptonus, Protector of Thieves: Crush them!" The King demanded of the big, blue guy.

Kleptonus growled and jumped out in front of the men, ready for a fight.

"Well, like they say, the freaks come out at night." Mikey stated. He began twirling his nunchukus.

"Well, I'm all for puttin' 'em back to bed." Raph said, and he jumped in first. His brothers followed him.

Randall held back. How was he supposed to fight this thing? He didn't exactly have his tonfas with him. But then, he could also take care of the two humans that were evading capture.

The two men were starting to leave again, hoping the creature would finish off their enemies. The King wanted his prizes of riches.

While the turtles were occupied with the blue guy, Randall went after the two men. They had snuck past them. They were now at the front of the alley and the Gremlins were giving them jewelry and other things.

Randall growled and ran at top speed to the front of the alley. He struck the two men from behind. He swung his body in mid-air and knocked the two of them down. "You two aren't going anywhere!" he snarled angrily.

The men were so startled at what had jumped and knocked them down. They began to struggle under Randall's weight as they hadn't been knocked unconscious.

The King started summoning help from the Gremlins.

Many of them saw what was going on and came down and started swarming Randall. He punched a few away and got a tail whip in, but when his fronds were pulled on, he swung his head and his colors started going out of control with even a bite to his back, he cried out.

The squabble got him off the men and they hurried out of the spot. They went further down the block and other Gremlins started giving them the stolen things.

At one point, Randall did manage to get the Gremlins off of him and then he had to vanish just for his own good. He could only hope his friends were having better luck with the creature. The Gremlins were puzzled when he had vanished, but flew off to go back to stealing stuff.

The turtles were all tossed aside near a dumpster. Don had hit a trashcan. Leo was the only one who had landed on his feet.

"How many arms does one monster need?" Mikey asked.

They all stood up. The monster stood in front of them.

Raph glared at him angrily. "Guys, he's boxing us in!" Leo shouted a warning. Raph looked behind the monster and he saw a fire escape. He thought of an idea.

"Hey, guys. Follow my lead." Raph said. He went and jumped on Kleptonus and over him to the fire escape ladder.

Don and Mikey were next, with Leo on their rear, to make sure they all made it. When they were all on the ladder, Kleptonus grabbed the ladder and shook it.

"Hey!" Mikey cried out.

"Go! Go!" Leo ordered his bros. They began climbing.

But Kleptonus wasn't done with them yet. He started digging his fingers into the walls and climbing up to the roof as the turtles were trying to keep ahead of him.

Once they got up top, they all hid to surprise the creature.

Down in the street, the number of stolen jewelry and other things kept piling up. Randall was watching from a building, staying invisible. How was he going to defeat these guys? He still heard the roars of the creature, except higher now.

Kleptonus reached the rooftop and looked around for his enemies. He didn't see them. He grabbed four pipes standing beside him.

Raph jumped out first and he saw him. He got hit in the chest that made him go flying back into a wall, winded. Don and Leo came at him next, together.

Leo was hit in the face and landed near Raph. Don was hit in the chest and knocked back onto his shell.

Mikey ran up behind him, having been unseen. "Hey, Ugly!"

Kleptonus turned to him. Mikey threw one of his nunchukus at him and it hit him right in the face, which really made him even more mad.

"Oops." Mikey grimaced, knowing he was in trouble. The monster hit him in the stomach, sending him flying into the edge of the building. He couldn't move.

Kleptonus started running toward his victim, intent on killing him.

Don saw him, and he saw Mikey, still not moving. "Mikey! Get up!" He tried calling to his little brother. "MIKEY!"

Mikey could have been more injured than he thought, so Don twirled his bo staff at the blue abomination. The bo got caught in his legs, thus tripping him just as he was about to reach Mikey.

Kleptonus yelled as he fell off the roof and down below, where he even fell through the street.

Mikey had looked up just in time to see the monster go sailing over the edge of the roof and going down. His brothers joined him. "Mikey, are you okay?" Don asked.

"I think so." Mikey replied.

As they looked downward, they saw the huge hole in the street. "Now that's one pothole I wouldn't want to hit on the Shell Cycle." Raph remarked. Who would?

The four brothers went down the fire escape and went to examine the hole. They saw debris down there. Then they jumped down. They didn't see the creature anywhere. Don took off his bo and started feeling the debris pile for signs of life.

A train went by while they were down there, blowing their mask tails past their heads, and moved on quickly.

"Do you think the fall took care of him?" Raph asked.

"I don't know." Don replied.

Then the pile burst, revealing Kleptonus. His top right arm was gone.

"I'll take that as a no." Raph said. They all backed away with their weapons drawn.

"We can do this. Fight in tandom. Get in, get out. Don't let him grab you." Leo ordered.

Kleptonus began trying to stomp them down, but they jumped away. He also tried to punch Leo down.

Mikey jumped in and kicked him in the chest, sending him back into a pillar. He growled.

Another train honk was heard and Leo had an idea. "Keep pushing him back!" he ordered.

Don jumped in next, doing a pole vault move a couple of times with good kicks. He kneeled and Mikey leapt off of his shell, twirling in the air and sent a kick to the face. It got Kleptonus closer to the edge of the sidewalk. He saw the train coming and his eyes lit up.

Leo tried to slash as him, but the monster got a hold of his swords and lifted him up in the air, trapping his swords, and Leo struggling to pull them out.

Raph tried picking up the missing arm that was lying nearby. He picked it up and ran forward. Leo finally got his swords free and he slashed the arms and leg on the left side going down.

Kleptonus bounced on one leg for a moment before Raph smashed the arm into his head. Leo gave him a final kick in the chest and he fell off the edge, the train hitting him, destroying his body.

Raphael was too close to the edge and almost got hit by the train. "I got you!" Leo cried out as he pulled his brother away from the train and they collapsed.

Leo and Raph shook their heads and got their second wind. "Subway train one, big ugly monster, zero." Raph joked. Leo could only nod in agreement.

Kleptonus' body disappeared after that. With that, the red line disappeared too, and with it, the Gremlins.

Wherever a Gremlin had been stealing stuff, a store, a truck, or with a TV, that Gremlin vanished and it left the stuff there.

When Randall saw this, he knew now was his best chance. He got down off the wall.

The King and Argie saw this happening and were not liking this. "That can't be happening!" The King shouted.

"You aren't getting away this time." Randall said from behind them. The men turned.

Randall was still invisible. He growled and walked menacingly towards them.

The men backed up. Then they felt punches to the stomach and their legs tripped out from under them. They cried out as they went down onto their faces beside the pile of stolen stuff.

Then the police showed up. Randall knew to beat it then. He saw the turtles over on the sidewalk. For once, they could be next to the arrest zone.

The two men looked up. "I am… the King of Thieves!" The King shouted out.

Two officers pulled the two men to their feet and cuffed their hands behind their backs.

"I am the King of Thieves, I say." The man said as he was pulled to the car along with his associate.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty." The officer escorting him said. "Your chariot awaits."

The two men were locked into the car and strapped in.

The turtles were watching from a distance. Randall rejoined them. "I'm back." he said so they knew he was there.

Over yonder, two other officers were trying to figure out what to report on. "Gremlins? Six-armed monsters? I'm not sure what to put in my report."

"All I know is we found these guys looting the block. That's good enough for me." The younger one said. Then he noticed the turtles on the sidewalk. "Thanks for all your help. Why don't you kids run along and have fun with your trick or treating."

The turtles were all surprised at his saying. "Um, okay." Raph said.

Mikey was glad to hear it. "Candy, here I come!"

The two cops watched them go. "Nice kids." The old one said.

"Strange costumes though." The young one admitted.

The turtles put on their sucker gear and started climbing the hotel. Randall was beside them, finally visible again.

They got to the top and checked up on each other. "Are all of you alright?" Leo asked in concern. He still did care.

Raph and Randall had both been bitten by the Gremlins and had some bite marks, but nothing too serious otherwise.

Don wanted to examine Mikey later on. "How's your head, Mikey?" he asked.

"It's fine, Donny. Thanks." Mikey replied.

"So, what do we do now?" Randall asked.

"We head back to April's. We weren't ready for what happened, but we'll do the things we said we were going to do." Leo said. He was willing to let his brothers have some fun now that the serious action was over with.

They all managed to make it back to April's. But first, they had to fix the door too. Randall got his tools out of the basement and let Don start fixing the door's hinges on the front of the building. It took a good hour, along with putting the downed bike next to a wall out of the way.

Then, they started the bobbing for apples. Mikey sure enjoyed it. Raph and Don didn't mind it either. Even Randall took a try at it. He had a bigger mouth and was able to get a hold of a few with a big, smug grin.

Leo didn't bother. He sat on the couch with his arms crossed. He was keeping a lookout so to speak.

Around three in the morning was when April and Casey finally got back from the party.

The others were now watching a movie. They were starting to get tired.

"Hey, guys. How was everything here tonight?" April asked.

"Some guys broke in to your store and stole that six-armed statue." Randall replied.

"Did you get it back?" Casey asked.

"We tried to, April, but when we found it, the guy who really wanted it turned it into a big, blue behemoth of a monster." Don explained.

"It was destroyed, April." Leo said. "We had no choice."

"I understand. You did what you had to do." she said.

"I took down the two men. They were arrested." Randall said.

"Good for you, Randall." Casey said.

"Did you guys have fun at your party?" Don asked.

"Yes, it was fun. We danced the night away." April replied. "If you guys are feeling tired, you can camp downstairs with Randall, or go on home."

They got the concept that the humans wanted to spend more time alone. They all left the upstairs. They went down to Randall's room where Don also got out the first aid kit and soothed the bite wounds on Randall's back.

The lizard winced, but held still, not making a sound, just gritting his teeth. It wasn't too bad. Then Don left him alone. He just had to dab the wounds to make sure they were alright. He would also see to Mikey.

Mikey seemed alright, but Don didn't want him to risk a concussion. He wasn't allowed to go to sleep for awhile, hence they were all trying to stay awake. By morning, it had well been over seven hours since what happened in the shop with the robbers.

Even with the TV going, everyone had at last fallen asleep, on the bed mostly. Leo was on the armchair. Even he had fallen asleep.

April and Casey also went to bed too, on the couch after April had changed out of her cat costume.

That afternoon after they woke up, the turtles went home.

Don examined Mikey at home to make sure he truly didn't have a concussion from the bike hitting him on the head so hard. He was fine. Of course, they had all taken a good beating from that former statue.


	30. Samurai Tourist

Two days later, things were back to normal. They had taken a break from going topside after what happened on Halloween. 

On this evening, Master Splinter knew his family was going to be expecting visitors. What had happened had been explained to him as well and was willing to let his family rest up for a few days following the fight with the giant statue. Leo was the only one who hadn’t stopped training. 

Casey came by April’s house that night, and as she was busy doing some girl things out with some other friends tonight, he went downstairs to see what Randall was doing. The lizard had been watching a movie on regular programming when he heard a knock. 

“Yo, Randall, what’s up?” Casey greeted him. 

Randall rolled his eyes. “Not much. Why?” 

“I was going to visit April, but she’s busy and all. So, I thought we could visit our friends, the turtles. What do you say?” Casey suggested. 

“I don’t know. Leo’s behavior is just getting to be beyond tolerable anymore.” Randall said. 

“Almost everyone keeps saying that about him. I want to see this for myself.” Casey said. 

Randall looked at the man like he was some kind of dope to have not noticed anything. “Alright, fine. But I’m staying away from him.” Randall said and shut off his TV. He went with Casey through the sewers to the lair. 

After some hanging out, Casey, Randall, and Leo’s brothers watched Leo have another special kata going on. 

Some swinging three pieced candles were set up and Leo had a blindfold put over his head. His challenge was to see if he could find these targets without his eyesight. This was one kind of test he was good at. 

Splinter stood observing Leonardo. He knew his son was a good fighter, but his behavior just couldn’t go on much longer. Something had to be done, and that’s why he had called in Usagi to come. Splinter could sense they were going to come shortly. 

Randall and Raph stood with their arms crossed, watching Leo. Casey was sitting on the floor behind the couch, eating some chips. “I’m telling ya. Leo’s going mental.” Raph said. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is. You guys are always training. So Leo’s training more. So what.” Casey said. 

Raph looked down at his friend like he was some idiot. Anyone could see and knew Leo knew that he wasn’t himself anymore. His body was there, but the mentality wasn’t. 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Randall added. 

“I’d be training too, but you know. Free comic book day.” Mikey said. His two bros and friends looked at him like he was weird. In this, he was just a comic book nerd. “What?” Mikey asked. 

“Raph and Randall are right, Casey. Leo’s gotten real intense. Ever since his incident with the rogue ninjas, he just seems so… angry.” Don explained. He leaned on his bo. 

“I’m just saying that somethin’s got to be done, or I’m gonna give Leo some therapy. Butt kickin’ therapy!” Raph waved his right fist in the air. 

“Aww! I think maybe Raph’s just a little jealous.” Casey teased the red masked turtle. “Leo’s stealing your thunder.” 

“I think you need your butt kicked too, bonehead.” Raph said. 

“Wouldn’t hurt.” Randall chuckled. 

“I think all you guys should just lay off the poor guy.“ Mikey spoke up. “I mean, it can’t be fun, always being the responsible one, and we’re the ones who really benefit. Raph’s free to think, because Leo does all the thinking for him. Don and Randall are free to dream. And I’m free to take it easy, all because Leonardo is busy being responsible enough for all of us.” Mikey explained. He could be insightful at times. That was one of those sayings. It made sense. 

But then, Leo threw one of his swords and it landed right in Raph’s punching bag. It made the others gasp. The sword had three candles on it. 

“My… my bag!” Raph muttered. The puncture in the bag made it split open and release the sand inside it. “That is it! You’ve had it, Psycho Boy! You hear me?!” Raph yelled over at Leo. 

“Take it easy, Raph.” Mikey said. Casey, Randall, and Mikey had to stop Raph from trying to go over and pound Leo. 

Leo just ignored Raph. He went over to get his sword out of the bag. 

“Raphael, enough! Calm yourself. We are expecting visitors.” Splinter ordered. He got up from where he had been observing Leo. 

Leo got the katana out of the bag, then he blew the candles out. He and Splinter then looked to the water. 

A portal was appearing now. It went from the water to the bridge. Out stepped a white samurai rabbit. “My friends.” he greeted them warmly.

“Usagi!” Mikey and Don said in surprise, then went down to greet him. Raph, Randall, and Casey stayed where they were. 

“Welcome, Friend.” Splinter replied back. Leo also smiled and put his sword away. “Usagi.” he said, happy to see his old friend. 

A rhino appeared next to Usagi. “Greetings, Turtles.” he said. 

“And, Gen.” Raph crossed his arms. 

“Great.” Randall muttered grumpily. 

“You’re in luck. I have considered letting you impress me with this world of yours.” Gen went on as he and Usagi walked off the bridge and stood by Leo and Splinter. 

“You honor us with your presence, Usagi.” Splinter said, bowing in respect. 

“Thank you, Sensei. After witnessing your holiday festivities, I too would like to see more of your world.” Usagi said. 

“You traveled through the Battle Nexus?” Leo asked in amazement. 

“No, Leonardo-san. An old friend aided me in the ritual so we could come straight here.” Usagi explained. 

Gen walked away to explore their lair some more. Then he came across Casey. “Good to see you, Zaru-clan. Let’s find something to eat.” The rhino rubbed his hands together and walked away, looking for the kitchen. 

Randall had been close by, but he stayed clear of Gen. 

“Wha’d he call me?” Casey asked Don. 

“Uh…” Don looked behind himself before replying, “A monkey.” 

That made Casey mad. 

Randall heard that too. That made him smile and giggle. 

“Okay. I think I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Casey said and stormed out of the lair. 

The others were okay with that, literally. 

Randall came over to see Usagi, hesitantly. 

“So, Randall-san, good to see you too. How are you doing?” Usagi greeted him. 

It was unusual for his name to be said that way, but Randall responded, “I’m fine. Your friend, Leo here, has taught me many awesome things since we last met.” Randall smiled at the rabbit and at Leo. 

Leo smiled back at him for once. “Yes, he has learned a lot.” The turtle in blue added on. 

“So how about we get this show on the road?” Raph suggested. 

They were ready. 

Shortly after, Usagi and Gen found themselves out in a city at night that they had never seen before, up on the rooftops. They both had some sunglasses because it could get quite bright, even at night. They had been shown around the city by the turtles and Randall. 

On a rooftop near the Brooklyn Bridge, Gen and Usagi were gazing at the tall buildings. 

“So, what do you think of the Tortugas Brothers Big Apple Tour so far?” Mikey asked. 

“Your city is quite… impressive.” Usagi replied. 

“It’s so big, so shiny, and those buildings. That’s a lot of torches.” Gen said, not knowing what really powered them, other than thinking of fire, like in their own world. They didn’t have quite the technology that the turtles’ dimension had, or Randall’s. 

“Psht. Tourists.” Raph scoffed. 

Mikey then stepped forward. “You guys haven’t seen nothing yet. If you really want to experience New York, I have two words for you. Hot Dogs!” Mikey said, looking down for a cart that sold hot dogs. There was one down below. 

Using a rope with a gathering device, there were seven hot dogs scooped up off the cart below, and dropping a few bucks to equal up to ten. 

Usagi and Gen got their first tastes of Earth’s hot dogs. Gen loved it, but Usagi was a little more uncertain. “I’m sorry, Michelangelo. Tell me what this is made of…” 

That was probably better off not being said. 

They moved on and showed them the Statue of Libery and talked about it. Leo kept on lookout, but was also a bit dismayed that he wasn’t able to talk to Usagi much while his brothers were hogging his attention. 

Mikey had also brought along a comic book and showed them about what the Silver Sentry could do. His flying ability fascinated them, as he was able to do it without wings. But he was a hero all the same. 

Then they moved on to the Yankee Stadium. Raph loved his sports. He mimicked a baseball player about to hit the ball. Gen didn’t get it. He took out his sword, which made Don and Mikey have to go and stop him. 

And later, when they moved back down to the sewers, Don and Randall took them to go see a train go by. They were impressed by it. 

And the last part was the Times Square. It was beautiful with all the screens and pictures. Even Randall hadn’t seen the city like this quite before. The turtles sure knew their way around. It did make this one entertaining night. 

They soon moved away from the entertainment. They moved back closer to April’s building. Leo was on the building first with the others following close behind. 

“Truly amazing.” Usagi said. 

“Now this is a city!” Gen proclaimed. “So much life! So much food! So much money.” He lowered his voice on the last one. 

“Not too shabby, right? That’s why they call it the ’greatest city on Earth.’” Mikey pointed out. 

“Really?” Usagi asked. 

“Well, our Earth anyway.” Don replied. 

“As wondrous as your world is, it makes me long for the open fields and simple pleasures of our world. Heh, Genisuki? Gen?” Usagi questioned his friend. 

It would be understandable to long for those ways. Things were probably a lot less complicated, and yet, could be too when people didn’t take some time to truly understand certain matters and places. 

Genisuki was questioning himself, what he really wanted to do. He wanted to practically live here, it was so incredible. It had way more to offer him than his own world did, he felt. 

Some streets over, in an alley, a new portal opened up, and out walked a warthog assassin in a cape to cover up his looks. Then he opened up a magical scroll. 

In it, a talking image of Hebi the snake from Usagi’s world appeared. Usagi, Gen, and Leo had defeated him one other time a long time ago, long before Randall had come along. 

This assassin’s name was Kojima. He and Hebi discussed what he was doing, tracking Usagi and Gen through the wizard’s portal that had sent them there. And they would lead him to Leonardo. Hebi just wanted them to suffer the worst. Kojima would find them and make sure to carry out those orders.  
…………….

The turtles and their friends went back to the lair. Randall stayed down in the lair this time too. Last night had been more fun than he thought it would be. 

Gen had stayed in Mikey’s room. Randall on his own mattress. Usagi in the living room. 

They had all stayed up a good portion of the night, but got some sleep. But in the morning, Leonardo was up early, as usual. 

He came out of his room, ready for training. He jumped down and got a hold of a rope before landing and taking out his katanas. Then a voice surprised him from behind. 

“The sharpest blades in all the lands is useless in untrained hands.” Leo turned. There was Usagi sitting there in front of him. “But I wonder what they say of overtrained hands?”

“Usagi.” Leo put his katanas away. “I didn’t think anyone would be awake after last night.” He walked over to his friend. 

“I wanted to speak with you alone, Leonardo-san. Your eyes betray you. They show a burden that you have chosen to shoulder.” Usagi explained what he saw, and thus, when Splinter had come to him, he wasn’t kidding. 

“Someone has to carry it.” Leo said. 

Usagi wasn’t so sure about that, at least not in the way Leonardo was carrying it. 

“Up for some sparring?” Leo asked. 

Usagi got up and took out one of his swords. He and Leo began sparring with their swords. 

“Leonardo, what happened to make you feel this way?” Usagi asked awhile after going at it. 

The feelings were overwhelming for Leo, but he started to explain. 

“It was an incident with some Foot ninjas many months ago. They cut my stomach open and they raped me. It felt like they took my dignity and my honor away. They took an innocence away from me. I felt useless, that I couldn’t fight back against them. In that condition, I would have been useless to protect my family if they had come along, and they did, but I couldn’t protect them. I’m grateful they did find me. It just feels like that I don’t want to be taken advantage of like that again.” Leo explained his feelings on what happened so long ago. “And I don’t want my family to get hurt.” 

Randall, having been in the living room, had been woken up from the swords clashing. He had heard every word Leo had said. 

“I understand your fear and anger in this, Leonardo-san.” Usagi met Leo’s sword just as he said, “My own master was cut down in battle,” Then he relaxed and went on, “right by my side. It was my duty to protect him. I too, failed.” Usagi closed his eyes sadly. 

Leo relaxed his sword. “Usagi, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Randall also heard what Usagi had said. 

“Failure. Fear. In the lives we lead, these things are inevitable. How we deal with them, that is the true test of our character.” Usagi said, putting his right hand on Leo’s left shoulder. 

Leo knew what he was saying. “I know, it’s just that-” He started to say, then was interrupted by Mikey. 

“Hey!” Leo and Usagi, and Randall looked up. “Gen’s gone!” 

The two sword wielders looked at each other worriedly. This was trouble. 

The others were all awoken so they could go looking for the missing rhino. There would be no telling how long he would last out there in this city against dangerous humans. He had no idea what the humans were really like.  
…………..

Gen had wanted to see what the city looked like in daylight, as well as from street level. He had gotten up before Leo did and had snuck out. He had made his way through the sewers and found his way up and was walking the streets at street level. 

After sunrise, humans were passing him on the streets and were freaking out. This was not something they saw every day: a rhino who was bipedal, and who could talk like one of them. 

While the others tried to organize where they were going to search, Randall spoke up, “The fastest way to find him would be for me to track him, or Splinter.” 

“I am not leaving the lair. Someone has to stay should he come back.” Splinter said. “But good luck. If you can track down Leonardo, I know you can track Gen too, Randall.” The rat gave him his blessing. 

Usagi wondered how Randall could track Gen down?

Randall started using his tongue and got a whiff of the rhino, even through all the other odors in the sewer. They followed it up to the top. 

Randall led them. “Who knows how far he’s gotten. It might take some time.” he said. 

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. We have to find him.” Leo said. 

They all climbed to the rooftops via a fire escape. Randall could still pick up Gen’s scent particles in the air. 

Randall hadn’t been outside on the rooftops for quite some time during the day, as hadn’t the turtles, at least not since Bishop’s kidnapping of the President. Gen would be lucky if he hadn’t been taken captive by Bishop by now, or the military. 

They had searched for a long time and still followed Randall. There had been times when he had to get closer to the street to make sure he still had Gen’s scent. He was keeping to it pretty good. 

“I’m stumped. We’ve searched the whole city. Where could Gen be?” Raph asked. 

“He could be in trouble.” Mikey pointed out. 

“Genisuki has his… flaws,” Usagi said, “but I’m confident he can take care of himself should he run into trouble.” 

“Gen can’t just go wandering the streets. Especially in broad daylight. This is why we showed you the city at night.” Don explained. 

“You see, creatures like us, we’re not the norm in this world.” Leo said. 

Raph looked over the side of the building. “Well, for a six foot tall rhino, he sure ain’t easy to find.” he said. 

“Yeah. And even when we find him, how are we going to pull him out without us being seen?” Don asked. 

“Alright, time to call in reinforcements. Don, we need Casey down here now.” Leo declared. 

“You know he’s asleep.” Don took out his shell cell. He didn’t like disturbing Casey when he was tired. “Raph, you call.” He gave his phone to Raph and he dialed. 

“How do you track anything in this city of stone?” Usagi asked. 

“Oh, well, we should know pretty soon, you know, from the screams, the sirens.” Mikey teased. 

Kojima was hot on Gen’s trail too. 

Randall was currently closer to the streets on a building. The scent was very strong now. Then there was a scream coming from across the street. Gen came out of a building, dressed in new garb, like one of New York’s punk men he had seen earlier. 

Gen had tried to pay for the clothes and the woman had run away screaming when she realized what he really was. “Hey! I said I had plenty of gold.” he said. 

Randall smiled. Paydirt! He went back up to the rooftop. “Found him.” he said. 

The others had heard the scream too. “Just follow the screams.” Mikey added. 

They went over to see what the ruckus was. Gen was in the new clothes and he had gotten the attention of passersby. One was even taking pictures. There was a police officer close by too, and wanted to see what was scaring people and getting so much attention. 

“Hey, buddy! You in the costume! Freeze!” The cop ordered. 

Raph quickly told Casey where to go to pick up Gen and hung up. He had been on the phone with him to tell they had been tracking him down and were going to let him know when they found Gen otherwise, but now he was needed. 

“Hands in the air!” The cop ordered. 

Gen thought this man was just playing around. “What are you supposed to be, Little One? One of the Shogun’s little soldiers?” he laughed. 

“I said, hands in the air! Do it now!” The cop ordered again. He now had a gun aimed on the rhino.

“Sorry, I don’t feel like playing these games.” Gen said. 

“Aw, shell!” Don complained. 

“Should we intervene?” Usagi asked Don. 

“Hang on. There’s Casey.” Leo said as they saw Casey pull up on his motorcycle. 

Casey saw the dilemma the rhino was in. “Oh, crud.” 

The others knew they had to do something, and quick, before Gen was arrested, or worse, shot. He had no idea what he was dealing with. They didn’t have guns in their world. Usagi and Gen came from a world where they lived like humans had lived in medieval times, when swords were used instead of guns. 

Mikey had an idea to draw attention away from Gen. He had Raph join him on the fire escape. 

The cop still had his gun aimed on Gen. “Last chance. Get down on the ground!” 

Gen had had just about enough of this upstart trying to order him around. He started going for his sword where there was a feminine like scream from an alley nearby. 

“Help! Help! There’s really short guy attacking me! And he’s really ugly too! Help!” Mikey was using a fake woman’s voice. Raph threw a garbage can lid to make it sound like there was trouble. The two of them had gotten across the street. 

“You are such… a mutant.” Raph grumped at him. 

Mikey laughed and they both climbed back up the fire escape. Mikey called out some more and the officer ran back to help the ‘lady.’ That was when Casey saw his chance to get in and get Gen while the going was good. 

“Hey ya, Gen. Or we’ll be late for that costume party we’re goin’ to, in your costume.” Casey said. 

“Listen fella, I don’t know what you’re prattling on about, but…” Gen walked up to the man and smelled him. “Oh, Zaru, it’s you. I’m not done here. Go away.” He tried to wave him away. 

“Hey! I am not a monkey! Now get on!” Casey ordered and fast put a helmet on Gen’s head. 

Gen took the hint and got on finally. Casey got him out of there before he caused anymore trouble. 

While they were driving away, Kojima was on another rooftop under a water tower. “Yes, I have your scent now, and your allies’ as well.”

“At least Casey has him.” Randall said. 

“He’ll meet us back at the lair. That was close.” Don pointed out. 

“Disaster averted.” Mikey said as he got to the top. He and Raph had gotten back across the street. “Now, how about we get the shell out of here?” 

“Come on, Mikey. I’m not exactly enjoying the view down here.” Raph reminded his bro. 

“Oh, sorry.” Then some sharp pointed objects flew and slammed into the wall next to the fire escape next to Mikey’s right arm. It disconnected the ladder from the wall. 

“Hey!” Mikey cried out. 

“What the-?” Raph questioned. 

They both almost fell, but Mikey grabbed on to a balcony. “Gotcha!” Raph said. They both had a hold of the other’s arm. Then they began climbing the balcony. 

Kojima jumped onto the rooftop where Don, Leo, Randall, and Usagi were. The three with the weapons pulled them out. 

“Who are you, stranger?” Usagi demanded. 

“Surely, my reputation preceeds me, Ronin.” The being under the cape said. 

Usagi gasped. “Kojima! It can’t be!” 

“Miyomoto Usagi, and the kame ninja, Leonardo, I presume?” Kojima stated. “I look forward to testing myself against you.” 

Raph and Mikey had made their way back up. “Don’t even think about it, piggy.” Raph warned him, taking out his sais. Mikey took his nunchukus too. 

Kojima turned and threw three bombs at Raph and Mikey. 

“No!” Leo cried out in fear for his brothers. 

Raph and Mike were thrown back, and the roof was starting to crack under their weight. 

“Guys! The roof!” Leo called at them. 

“Run!” Randall added. He hoped they wouldn’t be hurt like he had been once in an explosion. 

The roof collapsed on them and they fell down. Kojima came over to where they fell. “This will easier than I expected.” he said smugly. “And I was so looking forward to a challenge.” 

The other four were in shock, but Don didn’t want to listen to him. He tried to kick out at him, but Kojima grabbed his leg and picked him up, twisted around and threw him into the wall’s edge. 

“Don!” Leo cried out and ran over to help him up. Don was okay and got to his feet. 

Leo walked over to face the warthog. Usagi was on the other side. 

“Now, just the three of us. Don’t worry. I’ll find the bounty hunter, later. He is on Lord Hebi’s list, as well as Lord Noriyuki.” Kojima proclaimed. 

“Hebi! He’s hired the assassin’s guild?” Usagi asked. 

“None other. You and your comrades have no chance against me.” Kojima mocked. 

Randall decided he didn’t like this guy either. He backed off, but went to go check on Raph and Mikey. He had to know they were alright. 

“Leonardo, tread carefully. Kojima is a legend in my world.” Usagi warned Leo. “He’s an assassin and weapon’s master without equal.” 

“In your world maybe! But not in mine!” Leo yelled angrily and charged. Kojima used a smoke bomb and vanished before their eyes. Usagi had tried to charge in too. 

Then he appeared again, and he got the two swords fighters to follow him around the roof. 

Back at the lair, Master Splinter was pacing, wondering what was keeping the others. 

“I don’t get it. They should have been back by now.” Casey said. 

“Heh! Ninja hospitality. With any luck, they’ll return with food.” Gen said, obviously hungry again.  
……………

Back on the rooftop, Leo and Usagi were fighting on the edge of the building now. 

Randall had made it down to where Mikey and Raph were. “Are you alright?” Randall pried a piece of debris off of Raph’s plastron. 

“Yeah, peachy.” Raph got up. “Thanks.” Then he went over and got a piece of debris of Mikey’s head. “Alright, Mikey. Rise and shine.” 

Mikey rubbed his head and then did a stretch. Randall heard some ribs pop back into place. 

“I love… being… ow… ‘snap’… a turtle… ow!” Mikey said as another bone snapped back in place. 

“You’re lucky your head’s as thick as your shell.” Raph said. 

Randall was glad that they weren’t hurt worse for wear like he had been once before. “Come on, we have to get back up there.” he pointed out. They could hear sword sounds coming from up above. 

Raph helped Mikey to his feet. He was in a little pain from the fall and the bones that had been out of place. But they weren’t about to abandon their brother and friend. 

Leo and Usagi were fighting their hardest against Kojima. The pig even pulled a trick and blew some dust into Leo’s eyes. 

“Usagi! I can’t see!” Leo called out to his friend. Then he felt a rope on his right arm and he was pulled down onto the roof on his carapace. 

Kojima pulled out a stick with a blade on it, ready to stab the turtle, but Usagi cut the rope and blocked him. “You may not have him, Assassin!” 

Leo fell forward onto his plastron and rubbed his eyes, trying to get his vision back. 

Kojima put some other weapons aside and he took out his own sword. Then he fought Usagi. 

Leo could hear the swords and were trying to sense where they were, though they were right in front of him. 

Usagi wasn’t all that strong against the bigger warthog, but he was doing his best to keep him from harming Leonardo in his blind state. Then he was pushed down and his sword got thrown out of his grasp, away from him. Usagi was now at the mercy of his enemy. 

Leo finally opened his eyes and his vision came back. He saw his friend was in danger. 

Kojima was standing over Usagi. “Kojima will remember you, Ronin. Take comfort in that.” 

Leo glared at the evil pig. He wasn’t going to let this happen. 

Just as Kojima was ready to strike, the blue masked turtle jumped at him. “NO!” He knocked him over for a second, but he was ready to strike again. Leo grabbed his wrists. “You will leave my friends, and my family alone!” He yelled and spun on his shell and got on his hands and then, kicked the pig in the face. 

Kojima went flying onto his back. 

Then the door to the walk up shed was kicked out. Raph, Mikey, and Randall walked out. Don also got on the other side. 

Kojima could see they were all surrounding him. He knew he was outnumbered, but he could still fight his way out of them, he thought. 

Randall bared his teeth and while the pig was looking towards Don, he vanished. 

Kojima was almost at the wall. He took out a sai and the blade stick again. “Come! Come! I am Kojima, greatest of all the assassins! I am…” Then there was a big weight on his back and he fell forward, having been hit hard on the head. “Kojima.” He fell unconscious. 

The turtles knew it had been Randall’s work. Usagi was surprised. Randall appeared off to where Don was. “Asshole.” The lizard said. 

“Good work, Randall.” Don complimented. 

“He deserved it.” Randall replied, glaring at the fallen warthog. 

Leo took out some ropes and he tied the warthog’s hands behind his back. There was no way this maniac was going to be running loose again, being a threat to his family. 

They took the assassin back to the lair. 

They did decide to have one last meal before it was time to go. Gen had wanted in on the action of the fight when he had heard about it, but then, he was more pleased to realize that there must have been surely a bounty on Kojima’s head that he could cash in on. 

“Perhaps I’ll come back and see more of your world. I heard of a city called Las Vegas. I would very much like to see it.” Gen said. 

Don leaned back and whispered to Raph next to him, “How about in a hundred or so years?” he joked. Then they walked away. 

Randall watched from the couch as the portal was summoned from the water and was now awaiting its travelers to go through. Splinter was down below him, just waiting to bid farewell. 

Leo and Usagi came out of the kitchen. 

“Thank you for coming, Usagi. It’s always good to see you.” Leo said. 

“Leonardo-san, you must let these feelings go of guilt that you carry. A true Bushido warrior accepts what he cannot change.” Usagi tried to give him some comfort. 

Leo walked away, closing his eyes sadly for a moment, but looked back and replied, “I am grateful for your concern, Usagi, but I will decide what I can and cannot change. I wish you a good journey, my friend.” he said. He bowed respectively and walked away.

Usagi had bowed back. Splinter came up to him. “Thank you, Miyomoto Usagi. When I asked you to come, I hoped you could reach him. But I fear my son is now traveling down a difficult path. A path that he must travel, alone.” 

They walked over to the portal, ready to take them back home. “I wish you good luck, Master Splinter.” He bowed to the wise rat too. 

Usagi also looked up at Randall too. “And thanks for your help, too, Randall-san.” 

Randall smiled and bowed his head in respect for a moment. 

Usagi took Kojima back through the portal. “Farewell, my friends.” 

Gen laughed, “So long, boys.” Then he followed and the portal vanished. 

Mikey had gone up to his room to look for his comics, but he freaked out. “Aagh! Stop him! Don’t let him go!” He came running out of his room. The others looked up at him. 

“Mikey?” Don asked. 

“What now, Shell-for-Brains?” Raph added. 

“My Silver Sentry comics! Gen! He took ‘em, all of ‘em! NOOO!” Mikey cried out. 

This was going to drive Mikey crazy, and perhaps all of them. 

“Can’t he just get more?” Randall asked. 

“I’m sure he can with time.” Don said. 

“He could probably get some more up in Northampton.” Raph said. 

“Another time.” Splinter said. “For now, he will just have to be without them.” 

“Don’t you have other comics to look at too?” Randall asked Mikey. 

“Yeah, but they are about my best bud on the Justice Force.” Mikey said. “They were my favorites.” 

“Just try to find something else to do, Mikey.” Don said. 

Leo had gone into his room to meditate. He had heard the complaint too, but didn’t want to get involved. 

“I’m going to go home and get some rest.” Randall said. 

“Thanks for being here, Randall.” Don said. 

“Yeah, you did save us a lot of trouble finding Gen.” Raph complimented. “That’s one fabulous talent.” 

“Thanks. I was born with it.” Randall replied happily. He was glad he was having a bond with all the brothers. This was the family he should have had a long time ago. 

Randall went home to rest himself and without worry of being woken up quite so much. 

After the lizard had gone home, Master Splinter went back to his room to meditate. He got relaxed and went looking for a certain someone in the astral plane that he hadn’t seen in years. He found him and they talked. If things didn’t improve shortly, Splinter would have to take drastic measures.


	31. The Ancient One

A few days later, Randall had gone back to the lair to hang out. He and Mikey started looking at some new comics that Randall had brought for him, bought by April to start the new collection of Silver Sentry comics that had been lost. There was one that was called Toxic Zombie. 

“Thanks, Randall.” Mikey said. 

“No problem. I told April and she wanted to help.” Randall replied. 

Splinter’s younger three sons had already had training for the day and now, he wanted to train alone with Leonardo. Leo was still raring to go. Splinter asked for Leo’s other katana and Leo gave it to him. It was just a katana lesson, but at the same time, Splinter wanted to get Leonardo to talk. 

Raph was weight lifting again, with Don right next to him. The noises were getting intense as their bro and father were going at it. 

They all could hear Leo was getting agitated as the lesson continued. 

“I already told you I’m fine.” Leo snapped at his father. He was tired of these questions about his behavior. 

“You are sure?” Splinter asked. 

“Nothing is the matter, Sensei!” Leo replied back. “Why do you keep asking me that?!” 

Mikey and Randall looked up from the comics. They were getting worried about Leo. 

“So much anger. The inner pressure of the unopened bottle will burst when it becomes too much to bear. For months now, you have been brooding, sirly, and stubborn!” Splinter admitted to Leo. 

“Yeah, right!” 

Even Raph and Don looked at each other at hearing those comments. It was so hard to get Leo to open up about his feelings. They were worried that something was going to happen that would be something bad. Splinter had a point. 

“You have not been yourself! You must let go of what festers within you. Your family will help you, Leonardo. We must be open with one another.” Splinter explained while dodging his son’s many strikes at him. 

Leo’s voice could be heard carrying a lot of anger. Then he put his own sword under the one his father was using and flipped it away from him. 

Splinter looked at him and glared. 

“Open? Fine!” Leo snapped angrily. “This katana lesson stinks! I mastered this years ago! Years ago!” 

Splinter was getting agitated too. He went over to collect the sword. “It is not the student’s place to say when a lesson is learned.” He went back for more fighting with Leo. “The student’s place is to listen and learn.” They continued their fight. 

Leo’s brothers and Randall gathered around to watch. “Something tells me the cork’s about to pop on that unopened bottle.” Mikey pointed out. 

“That hothead.” Raph said. He crossed his arms. The others looked at him. “I hate it when Leo reminds me of me.” Then they looked back at Leo and Splinter. 

“I’ve already mastered this lesson! And yesterday’s lesson! And the one before that! When… are you going… to teach me something… I don’t already know?!” Leo yelled angrily, and his control was gone. He slashed his father’s head close to his right ear in anger. 

Splinter cried out and felt to his knees. He held the wound. 

The others gasped and ran over to him. The uncorked bottle had finally burst. “Master Splinter!” Don gasped in concern. 

Leo was brought out of his anger when he saw he had hurt his father. He dropped his katana.

“Are you okay?” Mikey asked. 

“Looks deep.” Randall said. He looked over at Leo angrily. 

“Leo, what the shell is your problem?!” Raph demanded furiously. 

Leo rushed over and pushed Raph and Don aside. “Master, Master, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just… lost control.” He looked down sadly. 

Don took Splinter to the infirmary where he cleaned and stitched the wound. Then he bandaged it up. Splinter now had bandages wrapped around his head. 

The others knew this couldn’t go on any longer. It had finally happened. Leo’s temper had burst and he had hurt someone that he loved. 

Leo felt really guilty for what he had done. He saw when Splinter was released from the infirmary. After the injury had taken place, Leo took his swords to his room, where he left them out of their sheaths. 

Splinter went to meditate and he once again, talked to the man that he was going to send his son to. There was nothing more he could do for his son while he was like this. 

Leo soon approached his father’s room, wanting to make amends. 

Splinter could sense Leonardo outside his door. “Sit down, my son.” He ordered him into his room. 

Leo went in and closed the door. Then he knelt before his father. “Master, I… I don’t know what to say.” He closed his eyes in sorrow. 

“Say nothing.” Splinter said. “Listen. I know you were badly injured by those rogue ninjas, but you have not fully healed.” 

Leo knew he was right. 

Randall and the other three turtles were listening outside the door. They wanted to know if Splinter was going to punish Leo for what he did, or find a solution to this problem. 

“I have meditated long and hard on this matter, and I now realize, that you are correct.” Splinter said. Leo opened his eyes in surprise. It was rare for his father to say he was right. “It is time for you to move on. It is time for you to study with a new sensei.” Splinter laid a hand on his left shoulder. 

Leo shook his head. “But, Master, I don’t want a new sensei. I’m happy here with you. I know there’s so much more that you can teach me.” 

The others all looked at each other sadly. So, Splinter was going to send Leo away? Hopefully, not permanently. 

“No, my son. It is as it must be.” Splinter shook his head. Then he got up and Leo followed. “Now, there is only one man that I would entrust my son’s wellbeing to. He is wise, honorable, and highly skilled. He is called the Ancient One, and he was the sensei to my sensei, Hamato Yoshi.” They glanced at Splinter’s picture of his master. 

“You must make a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage halfway across the world.” Splinter finished. 

“But, Sensei…” Leo tried to talk him out of it. 

“Come, let us prepare you for your journey.” Splinter pulled him away. 

They came out of the room and his brothers made room for them to get through. 

“Go get your camping gear, Leonardo.” Splinter ordered. 

“Yes, Father.” Leo said and went to his room. 

“So, where’s Leo going?” Randall asked curiously. 

“Japan, Randall. He needs to do this. I hope the Ancient One can help him find himself again.” Splinter said. 

“Will I get to meet him?” 

“Maybe someday.” Splinter replied. 

“Are we going too, Master?” Mikey asked. 

“No. Leonardo is going by himself. This is a journey he needs to do on his own.” 

“When is he leaving?” Don asked. 

“When there’s a ship to go to Japan. But he is leaving us tonight.” Splinter said. 

Leo soon came back out with his camping gear. 

“You might also want to take some clothes, or your trench coat, Leonardo, in case of needing a disguise.” Splinter said. “And then, pack some food for your journey.” 

“Before I do that, I just want to say, I’m sorry for all the times that I’ve been too hard on you in the past months. I will miss you guys.” Leo said. “But who will be the leader while I’m gone?” 

“I’ll choose one of them to lead while you are gone, my son. Now, finish packing up.” Splinter said. 

Leo went to the kitchen and packed up some food. Dried fruit, peanut butter, trail mix, chocolate, and some other things. He didn’t know how long he would be on a ship, and hoped he wouldn’t get sea sick. If he had to fast himself, he would. There would be no one there to tell him he had to eat. 

When he was done, his pack was full enough. He grabbed his trench coat and a hat to cover his head. He also grabbed his swords as he knew he would need them for self defense. 

He said goodbye fully to his family before he left. 

“Take care of yourself, Leo.” Don said. 

“I’ll miss ya, big bro.” Mikey added. 

“Have a safe journey, bro.” Raph said. 

“I wish you the best.” Randall said. 

“Just be safe and learn the best. I hope you can find yourself again.” Splinter said calmly and sadly. They were all a little overwhelmed with emotions. They had never thought they would have to say goodbye to their leader and brother and son like this. 

Leo put his coat in his pack and headed out. “This isn’t forever, guys. I’ll be back before you know it.” Leo gave a smile on the way out. 

“How long is he going to be gone?” Don asked. 

“As long as it takes.” Splinter replied. 

“Will you write to us?” Mikey asked. 

Leo gave one last nod at his family and went to the elevator. “I’ll write as soon as I’m able to.” he said on his way out. He went up and out, and didn’t look back. 

He went to one of his many hiding spots for the day that was still going on, but that night, he went to the docks to wait for a ship that was on its way to Japan. 

Surprisingly, there was one there being loaded, and it was going to Japan, so Leo didn’t have to wait long. He climbed up the rope of the anchor and jumped on deck, heading for the cargo hold. 

In just a little while, down in the cargo hold, Leonardo was watching through a porthole as he was leaving New York behind for the first time, that he remembered of to go to Japan. Not that he remembered anything from when he was real young. 

Back at the lair, the others knew they would miss Leo like crazy, but they had to get on with things. Right now, Master Splinter wasn’t sure if he should dub Donatello or Raphael the substitute leader. 

For a few nights, when they went out on patrols, Splinter went with them to see who seemed the most next capable of the job. And he knew better than to dub Michelangelo. Randall too was capable of being a leader, but he didn’t exactly stay with the family quite so much anymore. 

Even though Leo’s brothers missed his presense, once he was gone, the air in the lair seemed to calm down much more. There wasn’t quite so much tension as there had been for so many months. 

For the few nights on the patrols while he was observing, Splinter saw who he would name the new leader in Leonardo’s absence. 

After Leo had left, Randall had decided to head home again. He needed a break from all that action. 

After four nights of observing his three remaining sons on patrol, Splinter called them before him. 

“My sons, I know Leonardo is gone for now, and hopefully, he will return to us soon, but I hope he finds the answers and training he needs to find himself again. There is no telling how long he will be gone, but while he is gone, I must pick a new leader for while he is gone.” Splinter explained. 

“From what I observed on your patrols for the last few days, I have seen enough and made my decision.” Splinter said. His sons looked at him anxiously. The rat then glanced at the red masked turtle. “Raphael, as the next oldest and you interacted with Leonardo that you seemed to direct orders the best to your brothers. You are only leader in his absence.” Splinter said. 

“Thanks, Master Splinter.” Raph said, if a little guiltily. He didn’t want to take Leo’s place. No one else ever truly could. 

Then he looked at Don. “Donatello, you can show great promise as a leader too, but you rely so much on your inventions. You can help to guide Raphael as well, as his second in command.” 

“Thanks, Sensei.” Don replied. 

“How long do you think it’ll be before the ship would reach Japan?” Mikey asked. 

“It depends on how many stops it has to take along the way and which way it will go. One might sail down around South America, or it could take the longest way and go down around Africa and up to Asia that way. It’s hard to say for certain.” Don explained. “If it’s supposed to be the fastest to Japan, I’d say around South America and up the coast and over to Japan.” 

“He probably could have hopped on a plane and got there a lot faster.” Raph said. 

“Yeah, but all the flights are listed on the inside of an airport, Raph. He might not have saw one bound for Japan.” Don said. 

“As far as I know, he would have picked a ship to go on, my sons, I am sure.” Splinter said. “I have been on a ship before, and it could take nearly a month to get there.” 

“I hope Leo’s food supply will last that long.” Mikey hoped. 

“I think Leo would know when to ration his supplies, or he would find food on the ship if he needs to.” Don told him. “Leo’s not exactly the biggest pig out type.” 

“I know Leonardo will take care of himself. He has always been responsible for you, and sometimes he doesn’t always make the best decisions for himself when it comes to his health, but he’s going to have to now that he is on his own.” Splinter proclaimed. 

“I really hope he writes and tells us what the Ancient One is like.” Mikey said. 

“I’m sure he will.” Don said. 

Splinter already knew who the man was. He had taken his sons over there years ago when they were very young, but they didn’t remember. It would be a story to share one day, but not now.  
……………

Randall told April and Casey that Splinter had sent Leo away on a trip to Japan to find some old guy that might be able to help him. 

“I really hope that he can help him.” April agreed with Splinter’s actions. “It was hard seeing him the way he was before he left.” 

“I’m glad he’s gone for the time being. I couldn’t put up with his temper any longer. It was just a matter of time before he really hurt someone, and he did. His own father.” Randall explained. “I was around that kind of energy for so long and almost all my life. It made me that way, and I hated it. Look how it had ruined my life in my other world. It got me here, though now I’ll say it was meant to be. You and the mutants are my family now, the one I never had growing up and would have been nice to have.” 

Casey found it hard to believe that Leo had actually hurt Master Splinter. But then, he had seen some strange signs in the lead turtle too. But Leo’s attitude had been perfect for Casey while they were out on the battlefield together. It had made their victories a lot better, if, by a little bit at times. 

“We just wish Leo the best on his way to find true happiness again.” April said. 

Randall just hoped that whenever Leo did choose to return, he was better than how he had left them.  
……………..

For the next month, the guys patrolled a lot and even trained topside without too many issues. Randall even started going three nights a week now, to help out more since they were down one turtle.

Randall saw that Raphael was actually perfect for the job. Raph actually seemed to be a lot more stable without questioning orders a lot more. If he had learned anything from Leo, it was how to give orders. And Donatello made a good second in command, giving advice when needed. 

If the four reptiles went out on patrols and split up, Raph would usually pair up Mikey and Randall while he and Don were a team. But he varied them as well. He tried not be particular about favorites. It could be him and Randall, or with Mikey. Or Don and Mikey. Or even Don and Randall. The team ups were a little better when the opposites kind of thing went on. 

Raph trusted Randall’s judgments more than Mikey’s often times, because even though the lizard could also goof around, he still had a much more adult way to him than Mikey did.  
……………..

During their times topside, the rogue ninjas were beginning to get more active too to try to find and spy on the turtles. That lizard creature was often seen with them too and they reported back to their leader, Yogami. 

Yogami was going to put a tracker on one of the turtles if it was the last thing he ever did. He was going to get the turtles at their home and destroy everything they loved! And soon.  
……………

Soon, the ending of November came and the family did celebrate Thanksgiving. They had a dinner, though there was a part of themselves that was sad about still missing Leo, but they did enjoy the company of their friends visiting them. 

Mikey and Randall made a fabulous dinner for about twelve people. The Professor and two of his friends, Silver Sentry, and Angel were all there. They had to tell them why Leo wasn’t there to share in their enjoyment. But they wished their friends the best.  
……………

On the ship to Japan, Leonardo missed his family terribly, but the time alone was seeming to do him some good. He wasn’t getting on anyone’s nerves and he wasn’t getting on theirs. He knew they would be expecting a letter from him soon, but he first had to get to his destination. He knew that when he would send his first letter that he would mail it to April’s address. 

Leo didn’t really do too bad on the ship at all. There were some moments of nausea from the ship rocking if it got too rough, but when the water was calm, he did just fine. Leo just kept his portions small. 

He trained silently in the cargo hold and tried to keep out of sight when he decided to sleep. When he was awake, he kept on the lookout for the crew. He knew when to lay low. He listened to many a conversation among the crewmen who came down to check on things. Most of the cargo items, the biggest ones, were all tied down securely so they wouldn’t roll around. 

He wondered what his family was doing often times without him there to run their lives and keep them on track. He could imagine them not patrolling or training as much, since he knew he might have gone overboard on it at times, but he knew they just needed to be ready for a fight at anytime. He hoped they would be okay without him. And who had replaced him as leader for time being? 

Leo would look out the portholes daily to see what the waters were doing and the weather. He hoped to see Japan soon. 

It took almost a month for him to finally see a city on the seaport heading into shore. He noticed some buildings from what he had seen from Japanese culture and figured this was it. “Japan.” It did look incredible. 

When the ship docked, Leo put on his trench coat and hat to hide his looks from possible lookers. He would stick mainly to rooftops, back alleys, and such to get out of the city. He had to avoid being seen. He had arrived at the city of Tokyo. 

It took him awhile to get out of Tokyo, but he made it. He knew that he had quite a walk ahead of him to find the Ancient One. 

Soon, he reached the mountains that he had to pass through. It was getting cold, as there was some melting snow on the ground. But, the higher that Leo climbed in the mountains, the colder it got. Soon, he had to fasten his coat closed. 

After a few days of traveling in the cold, he had always made sure to find a sheltered place and made a fire to warm up when he had to rest himself before continuing onward. On the third day after setting off, he ran into a blizzard, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him. 

It was hard trudging through the snow with no shoes on, and being cold blooded. He winced a little as the cold felt like it was burning his skin. Soon, he got into a place where some high cliffs blocked off the cold, and it was much better for the moment. 

As he continued, he soon heard footsteps and there were two giant creatures further on up the path. He wasn’t going to let these creatures get in his way. He would try to get through peacefully if he could help it. He was going to complete his journey no matter what it took.

Leo marched forward to face whatever he was facing. He stopped when he was close enough. The two big furred beings stepped forward and took out their swords. 

They growled and the one on the right said, “None shall pass!” 

Leo knew he might have to find a way around them, but then, these creatures might know where to find the Ancient One. 

The same creature then said, “Let’s teach this puny thing a lesson, brother.” 

The second one then spoke to him, “What is it that you seek?” 

“I seek the Ancient One.” Leo replied. 

The first one scoffed, “You seek the Ancient One?” 

“You funny looking little green man, you not even old enough to be a man. You a child, an itty bitty child.” He went on to be calling him a baby even. This was ticking Leo off. His temper hadn’t risen like this since before he left home. Then he was told to go home. 

Leo got so mad that he finally threw his camping gear aside and took out his swords. “That’s it!” he yelled angrily. “I didn’t come all this way to just turn around and go home!” Then he charged to attack the things in front of him. 

It was easy for them to just pick their feet up and avoid his strikes against them. One of them just kicked him in the shell and he went flying and landed in the snow. They made fun of him again, and thought he was going to cry. 

Leo screamed out in pure rage and charged again. The one that had a beard finally stepped on his shell and held him down. Leo squirmed and he couldn’t move. He tried to catch his breath as it was a little hard to breathe being held down under this thing’s giant foot. He screamed again in rage and more taunting words surprised him and he was finally released from the pressure and picked up but the first one. 

“Time for cranky baby to be put to bed!” The being taunted and threw Leo a ways. The blow winded him a bit. But the snowmen finally put their swords away. The one that seemed older walked over to Leo and picked him up, and then he put him back on the path. 

“Have you learned anything, Little One? A warrior who attacks in anger…” The older one said, and his brother finished for him, “is a warrior who never wins.” 

Leo finally sat up and put his swords away. “That is the lesson.” The same one finished. 

Leo stood and collected his camping gear. Then the giant snowmen let him through with directions if in a more childish way. They said there was a hidden land ahead. The snow started to catch Leo again. He still heard their laughter as he got past them. His mask tails were blowing in the wind behind him and he turned to see if they were still there and they weren’t. He tried to keep the hat on his head. 

“Well, no one said it wasn’t going to get weird.” Leo muttered to himself and moved on. He was more than ready to get out of the snow and cold. 

He quickly came to the edge of the path and saw over the next hill that there was indeed, a secret land. It looked more like solid paradise! It was beautiful. Leo continued down the path and soon found himself in a warmer place. 

Leo walked most of the day away on that path and he figured he was getting closer all the time, at least he hoped he was on the right path. 

When the sun was about to set that evening, Leo was still walking when he passed a rock shrine and though he didn’t notice him, there was an old man sitting by it. It was a real fat old man at that, but then, he let out a loud fart. That got the turtle to stop in his tracks. 

Leo groaned and held his nose as he could smell it. He could see why Raph hated it when Mikey had gas real bad. 

The old man laughed while looking at him, “Nice one, heh?” 

Leo figured he could get directions despite the disgusting fart from this guy. Holding his breath so he wouldn’t smell the stinky air, he asked, “Um, sir, could I ask your some directions? I’m trying to find my way to someone called the Ancient One.” Leo’s voice sounded a lot like he had a head cold while holding his breath to talk. 

The old man’s face scrunched up for a moment. “Heh. Ancient One, huh? Trust me. I know the way to that old windbag. But it going to cost your Monkey Boy. You got yin, give me yin. You got dollars, give me dollars!” He waved his fists in the air like a silly child. 

Leo pulled his pockets out. “But, I don’t have any.” 

“Give me food then.” 

“But, I don’t have much food.” Leo said. 

The old man started talking about wanting junk food like donuts, pork rinds, and beef jerky. He jumped behind Leo and started going through the bag. Leo turned around to stop him. “Sorry, but I don’t have any of those things. Mostly, I have trail mix…” 

“You green kamquat! Trail mix is for ponies! What else you got?” 

“Uh, I have some dried fruit, peanut butter, chocolate…” 

“Chocolate? Gimme!” The man demanded like a spoiled child. 

“Uh, okay.” Leo said, and got a piece out and offered it to him. 

The old man grabbed it and ate it in a hurry. He licked his fingers after, then demanded more. “Uh, let’s save it for later.” Leo said. “Are you sure you know the way to the Ancient One?” 

The old man farted and then started walking the other way. “All roads lead to the Ancient One, green monkey boy.” Leo followed him, then he went off the trail to the left. “But some roads are shorter than others.” 

“Um, the path continues in this direction.” Leo pointed out. 

“I said some roads are shorter than others. That means a short cut, stupid.” The man said. 

Leo wasn’t so sure he should have bothered with this guy, but he followed him anyway and they soon came to a spot to camp for the night. 

The old man had so much gas. “Man, you are unbelievable.” Leo commented. 

“It’s just air.” 

The gas wouldn’t stop. Then there was a strange, almost frightening noise in the air. Leo tensed. “And that? What was that?” 

“Demon ghosts coming down the trail.” 

“Demon what?! What are you talking about?!” Leo demanded. This was getting freaky. More noises came on, and it made Leo really tense. He jumped out and took out his katanas. “Get ready. We may have to defend ourselves.” Leo said. 

The old man seemed all too relaxed though. “Don’t be so tense, monkey turtle. If we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us. Remain silent and they will go on their ghostly way.” 

Leo looked behind him. He turned back. “Are you sure?” 

“Trust me.”

Leo growled and put his swords away, sitting back down by the fire. He saw four demon ghosts coming down the trail, ignoring them. That was until there was another fart. 

That got the ghosts to notice them. Now that had Leo angry once again. 

The old man just looked at him and said, “It’s just air.” 

The ghosts were now getting closer and on the attack. Leo looked back and said, “Tell that to them!” 

Leo jumped up in rage and took out his katanas again and the ghosts started crossing swords with him. He noticed the old man wasn’t helping. “Don’t get up to help or anything!” He yelled out while fighting the demon ghosts. 

“Heh! I will not! Now, where did you stash that chocolate?” The old man looked at Leo’s pack. 

Leo tried going in for a blow, but found that he couldn’t hit them. He almost lost his footing and used his swords to catch himself. “Okay, I see where this is going. They can hurt me, but I can’t hurt them!” 

He had to keep his footing and keep from being struck by ghost swords from both directions. “There’s no way I can win. I’m gonna lose!”

“Oh, dumb kamquat.” The man said ridiculously. 

Leo was pushed back quite hard and he went down on one knee. “How about helping me out here?!” Leo demanded. 

“How about surrendering?” The old man offered. 

Leo leaped away from the ghosts. “What?! That’s your advice?! That’s ridiculous!” He avoided another hit. 

“Just say, ’I surrender.’” 

“But that’s stupid! To surrender, is not the warrior’s way!” Leo jumped over the ghosts and landed, but it was looking more dangerous by the minute. The sword in his right hand got torn away from him. 

“You won’t be much of a warrior without a head.” 

Leo was tired and out of breath. He was down. It seemed to be the only option left. Just as the ghosts started to strike again, Leo reluctantly cried out, “I… surrender!” 

The demon ghosts stopped and hesitated. Then they went on their way. 

Leo watched them for a moment and panted hard. He put his left hand on the ground. “I lost. I failed!” he complained. 

The old man finished another piece of chocolate, then stated, “You stupid. You alive, right?” He crossed his arms. 

Leo continued to pant, and he tensed when the man said, “A warrior who never fails, never learns.” 

The turtle stood up and turned his back to the man. He looked up in the sky. There was a shooting star that went by. He hoped following they guy was really worth it to meet the Ancient One. He was ready to ditch this guy. 

The next day, they finally reached the destination. They stopped at the bottom of the mountain. The old man then said, “The Ancient One lives at the top of this mountain, deep within a temple.” 

Leo had been wanting to hear those words for too long now. “Great. Let’s go.” 

“The temple grounds are perilous and guarded for those who are unworthy. Do you deem yourself worthy, kamquat?” 

“I do.” Leo said firmly. 

The old man had his doubts. This turtle was too sure of himself, but in the wrong way. 

“Hmm. Okay, your funeral.” 

Leo didn’t like those words. He knew the old man was doubting him. He placed his hands on his hips and asked, “So, what makes you think you’re worthy?” 

“This!” And another fart ripped out of him. 

Leo got in front of him. “Uh, me in front, okay?” He began climbing. The old man was behind him. 

They soon reached the top of the climbing part and the old man wanted to test Leo’s weight limits. Leo carried the man up until they reached the gates, until he farted again, grossing Leo out and he tossed him off of his shoulders. 

“The temple of the Ancient One lies within. Prepare yourself, kamquat!” The old man warned and ran towards the temple, Leo following him. 

The man came to a stop and Leo stopped too. “Now, you must prove yourself against your most dangerous adversary.” Leo took out his swords just as the room seemed to rumble to life. 

Rocks started coming off the walls and floor. It made one formidable monster. It also got its own rock sword off the wall. Then it spoke in a deep voice, “I smell your fear, and your failure. You are not worthy.” 

Leo growled. This thing had no idea what it was talking about! He charged in. 

He got knocked to the ground first and kicked in the stomach and into a high wall, though Leo caught himself that time on his hands and feet. 

“You are doomed to fail, as you have always failed yourself and others!” The rock man taunted him. 

Leo stood, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he exclaimed and went back in.  
He got a few strikes in against the rock sword. 

“I know you better than you know yourself.” Rocky said. 

They went on to fight some more, and the monster started hitting him and bashing him. Each blow made Leo’s mind flash to a moment of his family when they had been hurt badly in the past. 

When it was looking dire, Leo was on his knees, he said sadly, “I’m sorry! I did the best I could. I did the best… I could!” He broke the rock sword and got more rough at the monster. “There… wasn’t… anymore… I could have done!” He gave a few more hard blows and then it was over. 

The monster pulled his arm away and the rocks fell away, revealing his own face. Leo gasped in shock. 

“If there was nothing more you could have done, why do you punish yourself so?” The old man questioned. 

Leo now finally got it. His expression changed finally, one from fear and hatred, back to a softened expression. He put his katanas back in. He and the monster bowed respectively and then it disappeared, leaving just rocks behind. 

“I finally understand.” Leo said. He walked over and knelt before the old man. “Ancient One, I am honored.” 

The old man sighed, “Took you long enough, Leonardo.” He bowed to the turtle. 

Soon, they settled down for tea to be made. When it was finished, Ancient One said, “Now, Leonardo, tell an old man what it is you think you have learned.” 

Leo accepted the cup that was given to him before trying to explain, “I guess I’ve been obsessed with failing, after what happened to me with the ninjas. I hardened my heart like a rock, wrapped up inside my own shell. I tried to be perfect, and not wanting my family to get caught and done to them what was done to me.”

To the Ancient One, his explanation was too long. He picked up a bamboo stick. 

“I thought I had to be better. So angry, so- OW!” He cried out as he was struck on the head. “What?” 

“Too many words. Explain… simply.” Ancient One said. 

Leo rubbed his head, then said, “I’ve been my own worst enemy.” 

“Much better. Now, relax and enjoy your tea. And let me tell you a story of Master Yoshi, when he found himself at a crossroads very similar to your own…” The Ancient One told the tale. 

This story made sense to Leo. It was inspiring to know more about Yoshi. There were surely more stories about him that he had never heard before that Splinter didn’t even know. But now, Leo’s reformed training could really begin. 

After a few days of talking to his new sensei, to learn of new things and stories, that was when he started to get his first letter written as he had promised to do. He got it sent off. 

“So, how is your family to this day, as of when you left them?” The old man asked. 

“They were fine when I left them. They were sad to see me go, but I see now that it was right for me to go come see you. I might have been kicked out if I didn’t have help before too much longer. I just couldn’t stay there if I was just going to hurt the ones I loved. I did it to Master Splinter when I lost control finally during a last katana lesson with him.” Leo explained. 

“I have sensed through meditation that you also have a lizard family member too. Tell me about him.” 

“His name is Randall Boggs. He’s a monster from another dimension. He was banished from his world. He’s helped us multiple times. We helped him to turn his life around. He had a bad temper nearly similar to my own when he first found us. Mikey welcomed him first. We’ve had our disagreements, and we’ve all had our lessons along the way with him, but he’s proven himself that he can be trusted and is a worthy friend. He even saved my life a few times. He even was able to track me down at the time of my kidnapping from those ninjas.” Leo explained. 

“We also got to meet a few monsters from his world when he asked for our help to destroy a machine that he had created for originally harming kids. Human kids. Before he met us, he didn’t understand what human kids were like. He had a hard life as a kid, being an orphan. He was never fully accepted and was taken advantage of and used a lot in his life. His old boss did that to him too.” 

Leo went on to explain more about Randall, including his talented abilities that had helped them out so much, even taking out a few of their worst enemies. Even if it meant he got hurt in the process. 

The Ancient One could see that this lizard was valuable to the family indeed. 

“Master Yoshi too, was an orphan. I found him and a friend of his on the streets after the war ended. I raised them as my sons.” He went on to tell about Yoshi, his friend, and a girl they fell in love with, and the Utroms. How it all made sense and came together, why they also came to be in New York.


	32. Scion of the Shredder

In New York, the weather had gotten a lot colder, as it was in the in the last weeks of autumn, and Christmas was coming up. Everyone was going about their regular lives, preparing for the holiday.

They hoped Leo had reached the Ancient One by now. The best gift Leo could give them would be a letter, but so far, nothing. Leo usually kept his promises, but so far, not this one.

The others wondered if they would ever be able to trust Leo again after all the hard times he had put them through. Their trust of him had slipped majorly after all those months and after hurting Master Splinter.

They wouldn’t have known what to get Leo for Christmas, but Mikey was cheerful enough to just say that they should make a Christmas card for him, with colorful words and a maybe a picture with all their signatures on it.

“That is a wonderful idea, Michelangelo.” Splinter praised his youngest for being so thoughtful.

Mikey was quite the artist to begin with. He drew up the letters and colored them, being in the colors of his loved ones’ mask colors. It read, ‘Merry Christmas, Leo!’

When Mikey showed them the card, Don said, “That’s very artistic and beautiful, Mikey.”

“Didn’t know you had it in ya.” Raph said.

“Hey! I try to make good presents.” Mikey retorted.

“Are you sure that he’ll even like it?” Randall questioned. “He didn’t seem to like anyone or anything before he left.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it, Randall. I understand your reasoning of why you would say such a thing, but he is still family.” Splinter said.

“We don’t even know where to send it to.” Randall pointed out. “We haven’t heard one thing from him since he left.”

“Letters take time to get here from that far away.” Don said.

“When we get the first letter, we will send the card right away.” Splinter said.

A few days later, when April got her mail, she saw a letter that was addressed from Japan. That was strange. She had been told about that Leo was in Japan, of course. It looked like Leo’s handwriting. Her eyes widened.

She ran down to the basement and told Randall. “He has written us, Randall!” she said excitedly.

Randall took the envelope. It was quite a big letter. There must have been so much to tell.

“Don’t open it yet, Randall. This is something we all should read together.” April suggested. “I’ll call Casey and we’ll all go to the lair.”

April went upstairs and called her boyfriend. Casey was thrilled to finally hear something. This had happened a couple of days before Christmas. This was the best Christmas present to ever get from Leonardo, especially since he wouldn’t be here for it this year.

Casey got over there. April also called Don and told him the awesome news. They all should read the letter together and were on their way with it.

When they got there, everyone was anxious to read Leo’s letter. When opened, there were one page letters to each of them. April handed them all out to everyone.

Leo was mostly apologizing for all that he had done when it had been hurting his family and friends, but he also gave them advice on what they could do to make him proud of them. He said he didn’t know when he would be home again as he had so much more to learn from the Ancient One and he described him to them as well. He would be a guy that they all needed to meet and could learn much from.

They were all glad to see that he had made it and was doing well. Randall, on the other hand, though he too had a letter, he had read it. He was still going to be wary of the turtle even when he came back. Leo would have to gain his trust back again. Randall had lost faith in Leonardo for the time being. He just didn’t trust him now. Some things could be said on paper, and it was actions that truly showed who people really are.

Each one of them began a reply letter back to their brother or friend. They all explained how much they loved and missed Leo and glad he had found himself again. And they said they would love to meet the Ancient One. Splinter told him back that he knew who he was. Randall was the only one who didn’t write back. He just didn’t know what to say.

When Christmas came a couple days later, The Daimyo, his son, Usagi, Gen, Angel, the Professor, the Silver Sentry, Leatherhead, and the Professor and a few junkyard friends came once again for Christmas festivities. They were curious as to why Leonardo wasn’t with them.

Splinter told them he was over on the other side of the world with the sensei to his sensei. Leo had written them and said he was doing fine and seemed better than before he left. But it was hard to say how long he would be gone.

They all enjoyed dinner and talking as much as they could without Leo being there, but it wasn’t the same without him. Maybe next year for Christmas he would be back?

After the holiday, everyone gave their letters to April to send back to the address. Randall was the only one who didn’t give one to her. She went down to his room after she had mailed it out.

He was sitting on his bed reading. He heard a knock. “Come in.”

April came in. “Hi, Randall.”

“Hi.”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I feel fine. Why?”

“I just couldn’t help see the look in your eyes as everyone gave me their letters back to Leo. What’s wrong? You didn’t give me one.” April said.

“I didn’t give one because I had nothing to say to him. I don’t know what to tell him. I’m sure his family has plenty to tell him right now. I know they would write how they miss him and care about him.” Randall replied.

“I know you care about him too. After all the times you saved his life, and he saved yours.”

“I know, but after all the time of his harsh treatment, it just shattered my trust in him.” Randall said sadly.

“Just as the letter said, he won’t be like that when he comes back. He should have much improved ways, and perhaps even more skills at the ninja arts, ones we’ve never seen before.”

“Yeah. I’ll send a letter when I have something to say, April. Right now, I just can’t think of anything.” Randall said.

April had a feeling to not push this. She knew that Randall was upset with Leo right now.

“Okay. And I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” she said and went upstairs.

Randall was glad she cared, and she had known when to back off.   
………………

In Japan, Leo and the Ancient One shared a special dinner on Christmas Day. Leo missed his family and was sure his other friends had come again for the dinner. It wouldn’t be like it was last year. But Leo hoped to get replies back from his family and friends soon. His letter should have reached them by now.

A couple of weeks later, he did get the stack of letters in the mail when the Ancient One brought the mail back. Leo was glad to have gotten something back from his family.

Leonardo saw that he had a letter back from Don, Raph, Mikey, Splinter, April and Casey, and Leatherhead. He didn’t see one from Randall. He figured he would get one in time from him. But he hoped more than anything that Randall understood how sorry he was for the many months of bad treatment.

A few days later, just after the New Year, the Ancient One took Leo to a new place to meditate. He placed a long wooden stick over two cliff edges that were equal to each other and he and Leo went onto it and started a meditation session. Today, the master was teaching Leo how to clear his mind and focus on events behind even more. The breeze was refreshing too.

During the meditation, the Ancient One had a horrible vision; of claws slashing, like those of the Shredder!

His eyes snapped open immediately. “Leonardo!” He stood up. “You must go!”

Leo looked up at him in alarm. “Master, what?”

“You must go, Kamquat. Go home. Bye-bye.”

“But Master, there’s so much more that you can teach me.” Leo questioned.

“Leonardo, your family is in grave danger.”

“WHAT?!” Leo jumped off the board in shock. He looked down at his sensei.

The Ancient One nodded his understanding. Leo understood too. “I understand, Sensei.” They bowed respectively to each other. Leo then went to the temple to get his things ready.

The Ancient One led him to town when he was ready and he got on another ship that would take him back to New York. He just hoped he would be there in time to help his family.

And a day after Leo left, the letters arrived for the Ancient One, though they were for Leo. He got the letters even though Leo would never read them now. He read them as they were addressed to him as it was. The old man saw the signatures of all he had been told about, except for the one known as Randall. He wondered why, but then, he might send a letter in his own time.

The Ancient One worried that Leonardo wouldn’t make it in time to save his family.   
……………

Many days later, down in the lair, it was mostly a peaceful night. Everyone was getting along in harmony and doing their own thing. They had no idea that Leo was on his way back to help them.

Raphael was beating up on his punching bag. He was somewhat liking a role as a leader, and knew what Leo now had to go through when giving out orders. But he still wanted his big bro back. He would never do quite the job that Leo did. It was good to not be at each other’s throats for awhile. It was nice to have the break from all the fighting from before.

Donatello was making some upgrades on the Shell Sub. It was long past due to do it. He was doing the upgrades himself. Randall would have helped, but he wanted to stay home tonight.

Splinter and Mikey were in the living room area. Splinter was watching Mikey build a card stack. It was really awesome. Klunk was beside Mikey.

“That is an impressive edifus, Michelangelo. May I ask how long you have spent building it?” Splinter asked.

“Good question, Sensei. Hey, Raph, what time is it?” Mikey asked his new lead bro.

“Like I wear a watch. Hey, Donny, what time is it?” Raph asked Don next.

“Beats me. Ask Leo.” The response didn’t go unnoticed. They all looked at or down sadly.

Don got out of his working harness on the submarine. “Sorry. Leo’s been gone more than two months, and I still forget he’s not here.” He said as he came over to the living room.

“Master Splinter, when is that bum coming back anyway?” Raph asked.

“And is Leo coming back normal, or more normal? Before he left, he was acting kinda…” Mikey did a spinning motion with his finger, indicating nuts.

Raph hit him on the head for that one. “OW! Hey!” Mikey said in annoyance. He hated when his brothers did that.

“I do not know, my sons. Leonardo is on a pilgrimage to learn and find answers from the Ancient One. Such things are beyond time.”

“Well, I miss having him around.” Don said.

“As do we all. We must have faith that he will return to us, when he is ready.” Splinter explained.

Don took the rest of his wielding equipment off to watch Mikey finish making his card edifus. He was growing bored with watching it. Raph was proud of seeing his baby brother do something as complicated as making it. He didn’t have the patience for it.

Then, suddenly, the alarm went off in the lair. They all gasped. Then it just went silent.

“That shouldn’t happen.” Don said and he ran over to his computer. “If something triggers the outer alarm, it should keep ringing until I turn it off. It’s not supposed to turn off by itself… unless, someone just deactivated our outer alarm system.” This was startling news.

Then, there was a banging-loud like footsteps outside the lair. It made the whole lair shake. Raph took out his sais. They all knew this was trouble. “Um, what is that?” Mikey asked in fear. Klunk ran up to Mikey’s leg in fear too.

“Whatever it is, it’s coming through the front door!” Raph warned. Mikey, Don and Splinter also had their weapons ready.

The shaking continued, even making Mikey’s stack of cards fall apart. The door to the lair that was currently closed began to give way, indicating it was something big and strong that could destroy their lair’s door. The door crashed to the floor and more walling to the side of it crashed in as well, when some giant machines walked in.

There was some smoke at first, but when it settled, some ninjas came into the room.

“What the? The Foot?!” Mikey said in alarm.

“But how? How did they find us?!” Don asked.

“Don’t matter how they found us. They found us! Now let‘s kick the shell out of ‘em!” Raph ordered angrily. He had a hunch who was leading them. He knew he couldn’t trust her!

Raph led the charge and they all attacked the ninjas. When Raph got in the middle of some, he yelled, “Get out of my… house!”

Don fought next to Raph and he got knocked down after landing his first blow.

When Mikey faced some, he said, “You know, you guys should really call ahead.” Then he got hit into a pillar. He rubbed his head. “Whoa. I don’t remember the Foot being this fast, or this powerful. Everybody, watch your backs!” Mikey called out to warn them.

“It’s hard enough watching our fronts!” Raph shouted back. He knocked some aside and a machine came up and destroyed a pillar, trying to crush him with it. Raph jumped away before it could. Then the machine prepared its guns for fire on the red masked turtle.

Raph growled and bared his teeth at it. It began firing like a machine gun. Raph jumped onto it to make it stop firing.

The ninjas kept on coming.

Don got in a few more whacks and shouted to his brother, “Raph! There are too many. We have to back off.”

“Back off?! This is _our_ home!” Raph replied with a growl. He and Don began backing up. The ninjas had them cornered. Splinter and Mikey were also at their side too.

Now that the turtles and their sensei were cornered, it was time for the leader to reveal themself. The ninjas stepped back. A familiar shape was stepping forward, with the same red eyes.

“Oh, shell!” Raph cringed in his words.

“It can’t be him!” Don cried out in fear.

“Master Splinter, is this a chance this is just another mystical attack?” Mikey asked in fear.

Splinter stepped forward. “No, my son. This is real. All too real.”

“The Shredder! But, we killed him!” Don exclaimed.

“Yeah, well, it didn’t take.” Raph snapped.

Four Elite guards appeared. They were wearing different clothes than the ones that worked for Karai. Then the leader spoke. It had a different sounding, but still, a male voice.

“Oruku Saki is gone, thanks to you! But, the Shredder lives on!” The new Shredder declared and removed his helmet. It was Yogami!

“Who are you?” Don asked.

“You don’t remember me? I am Yogami. Honor demands revenge, Rat!”

“You dare speak of honor?! Your leader murdered my Master Yoshi! He had no honor!” Splinter exclaimed angrily to this new Shredder.

“You will pay with your lives! Where is Leonardo?!” Yogami demanded as he scanned the number of turtles and saw they were short one of them.

“He ain’t here!” Raph stated.

“You know, you just missed him.” Mikey said, if a little teasing, but he was still serious about it. “If you leave now, we’ll let him know you stopped by.”

“You mock me. The fact that you still live mocks me! I don’t know what the Shredder’s daughter saw in you to be her allies. You are nothing but abominations to be destroyed! Destroy them! Leave no one alive!” Yogami ordered and put his helmet back on.

Ninjas started walking toward them. All four of them jumped to the upper floors, but there were ninjas up there too.

Don tried to get away, but got some blows in. Mikey jumped down and grabbed a rope that let him land in the living room area. The machine tried to land a blow.

“Na! Na! You missed me!” Mikey joked.

The machine took aim with its guns. Mikey jumped away as the guns destroyed the TVs, the furniture, and Mikey’s trophy. “NO! My Battle Nexus trophy!” Mikey cried out.

Don had made it to his lab. He was trying to find a helpful gadget. He fought some more ninjas there too. They weren’t giving him a chance to get something. Then a machine grabbed a part of a pillar and threw it at him. He jumped off the train car of his lab, but the rock material had now destroyed his lab! Don looked over in panic that his favorite thing in the whole world had been destroyed.

Then the machine tried to fire on him and Don ran. He ran by Splinter’s room and a rocket that went off destroyed Splinter’s room.

Raph jumped onto the machine and tried to pry it open somewhere to get to some wires to disable it. “Got to open one of these tin cans!” He yelled. The machine’s driver then grabbed him with the right hand. It tried to squeeze and threw the turtle away.

Raphael landed on his feet.

Don had made it to the bridge in the middle of the floor. Another machine was made to pick up a piece of metal and threw it towards Don.

“Donny, look out!” Mikey cried out. He had seen it and hurriedly jumped onto the bridge to save Don’s life. They both landed on the other floor closest to the walls. They both got up and more ninjas attacked them.

Master Splinter made it to the outside of his room. He hit more ninjas aside as they attacked him. He usually was able to beat them easily. He whacked a final one in the face unconscious before he walked into his room to see what was become of it. He was looking for his master’s orb that had been given to him by the Utrom, Mr. Mortu.

Just as he found it, a foot stepped on it and broke it. “Master Yoshi’s orb. No!” Splinter cried out in sadness. He looked up at the new Shredder. Yogami had gone in there while he and his sons had been fighting.

“Your family destroyed the best leader we all had! Karai is no leader! I was one of his best fighters. I am Saki’s rightful heir!” Yogami proclaimed.

“No one is the rightful heir for being the Shredder! He was nothing but a murderer! I can see that hatred has consumed you! Karai is the rightful leader of the Foot!”

“My band of ninjas are called the Dark Dragons, Rat! Not the Foot! Our days of serving that bitch is over!“ Yogami then sliced at Splinter with super speed. He sliced Splinter through his kimono, making some wounds.

Splinter cried out in pain and held the wounds. “You are faster than your former master, I’ll give you that. But your dark heart will betray you, just as his did!”

“You are not even worthy to speak of my master, Rodent!” Then he kicked Splinter out of the room, knocking him onto the floor, almost unconscious. Yogami walked out and picked up the rat. “Now I will silence your evil tongue, once and for all!”

A short distance away, Raph saw it happening. “No!”

Don also so it. He saw Raph charge. He yelled and that gave him away. Yogami hit Raph in the chest, making him drop Splinter.

Don then jumped pole vaulted over and kicked the man away from his father, making the helmet come off.

Don came over and picked his father up. “Master Splinter!” Mikey cried out.

“We have to get out of here.” Don exclaimed to Raph. The whole family had regrouped for the moment. There were holes all over the walls in the lair by now. This place was not salvageable now.

Ninjas and machines were now taking aim at them all. “Easier said than done.” Mikey stated.

“Donny, you take Master Splinter with you! We split up, get out, and meet up again topside! Got it?!” Then a machine tried to bash them in, making them jump off that spot. “Now, let’s go! And guys, be careful.” Raph told his family. He took off to fight more ninjas to give his family a fighting chance as the leader.

Don had put his bo onto his back and put Splinter over his shoulders. The purple masked turtle kicked away two ninjas and ran. He ran for the sub. They got to the Shell Sub and got in.

“Don’t let them escape!” Yogami ordered.

Two machines behind him fired as ordered.

Donatello had managed to get the sub started just as they fired. “Hold on!” he shouted.   
The force of the shots freed the sub from its umbilicus hookup because it collapsed. Once it hit the water, Don turned on the lights and hit the gas pedal. They went down deeper. They were on their way out of the tunnels and toward the river.

The exit doors opened and outside was what they least expected to be there; more ninjas! They were all wearing scuba gear and had their own scuba jets/bikes.

Just as Don hit the open water, they set off after him. Don tried to hide behind some junk first. They tried to find him. And they did. He kept on trying to outrun them.

Raphael made a run for the elevator. He hit the button and it opened. Three ninjas followed him in. He growled. They were going to regret following him in here!

Mikey was now the only turtle left in the lair. He was worried about his cat. He wondered where he had gotten to, and hoped the Dark Dragons hadn’t harmed him. “Klunk?! Where are ya, Klunk?” he called for the cat.

Then there was a meow. Mikey looked up and his cat was up high. At least he hadn’t been harmed by the enemy. “Hold on, Klunk! I’m coming!” Mikey jumped up on the pipe and retrieved his cat friend. “I got ya, pal. Mikey’s here.”

Mikey and Klunk looked down at a machine stepped forward to try to get at them. It fired at him. He jumped and climbed upward toward his room. The shots followed him, making him run further away from it. Then he jumped again onto the fire escape ramp and the ladder fell, making him scream.

He landed and ran toward another machine as he was fired at again, though it stopped at the other machine, and it tried to grab him. He jumped away from it, and landed on his right side on the yellow floor. He tried to keep Klunk protected at all costs.

One machine started firing again. Another pillar was destroyed and Mikey was chased into Don’s other vehicle shop. The firing continued and it destroyed the entrance.

Mikey tried to find cover, and he had a moment to think. He thought of Randall and he was glad Randall wasn’t here to see this. Would he have gotten out too? Would he have been able to get away? The lizard was lucky to not be here this time.

Mikey now ran for the Turtle Tunneler. The machine wandered in, looking for him. Mikey started the Tunneler. “Don’t worry, Klunk. I’ve got a plan!” Mikey told his cat. Klunk jumped up next to him. “Here we go!”

Mikey drove the Tunneler to a wall and began drilling through it. It got him out of the lair and the machine flew after him.

The elevator arrived up at the warehouse. The door opened and Raph stepped out and fell to his knees, panting hard. He was getting wore out from out his fighting. But, just when he thought he was going to have a break, the garage door opened up, revealing five more ninjas.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me.” Raph said.

They ran to get at him. He ran for the Battle Shell.

There were five shurikens thrown his way and he climbed in, where they all got stuck in the door. Raph got his seatbelt on and started the truck. He then pressed the button for a rocket to be fired back at the ninjas blocking his way. It hit in the middle and it got them out of the way. Raph now drove out of the garage and headed south.

Back in what was left of the lair, Yogami gave the orders while his ninjas bowed before him, “In the name of Oruku Saki, hunt them down! Destroy them! They cannot be allowed to live!” The ninjas dispersed. Then he ordered, “And tear this filthy place apart! Leave nothing standing!”

Two machines started firing everywhere and it destroyed the lair’s purpose of being the enjoyed place the mutants and their friends had enjoyed for a few years. Nothing was left standing. Yogami laughed evilly. He also ordered one of his men to stay behind in one of the machines just in case any of the turtles decided to come back to pack or anything.   
……………

In the river, Don and Splinter were still on the run from the ninjas still chasing them in the Shell Sub. The ninjas wouldn’t let up and started firing towards the Sub.

“Hold on, Master Splinter,” Don said and he tried to pull up hard to avoid their grenades. They exploded behind them, hearing the cranking behind them. The Shell Sub couldn’t take much more. It had taken a lot in the past even though it had only been created for a short time.

Don had worked on this machine with Randall before and was glad he wasn’t with them this night. He had enough to worry about with his father being injured from the fight.

Then another scuba bike came up in front of them and fired two more grenades, the forced of the blow disconnecting him from the controls. It was a big bump. Don knew he needed to think of something quick if he and his father were going to live through this.

The Shell Sub floated in the water uselessly for a few moments. Don took the controls again, but said, “I don’t have enough fire power to fight all of them.” Then an idea came to him. “Hang on, Master Splinter. I’ve got an idea.” And he began hitting some buttons.

The Sub came back to life and Don fired two of his own grenades into the sea floor, making sea dirt go everywhere. Don dove for the hole that the Sub had made and the dirt covered the Sub up. It hid them for the moment.

When the dirt cleared, the ninjas were baffled. They couldn’t just disappear.

Don quickly gave his father the scuba gear that had oxygen. Splinter put it on to have some air. Then Don opened a door on the side, water quickly coming inside. He took a deep breath and kicked a lever with his left foot on the way out, and he felt a pain erupt in his foot. The door went back up. Don hurried outside beside Splinter. The Shell Sub erupted out of the dirt cover.

The ninjas knew they were hiding. They instantly fired at the runaway Shell Sub. This time, they got it in just the right spot that made it now unusable.

Don and Splinter poked their heads through the sea dirt to see what was happening. The Shell Sub was sinking to the sea bottom like it was dead. It soon exploded.

One of the lead ninjas reported back to Yogami. “Master Yogami, Donatello and the rat have been destroyed.”

“Excellent. Most excellent!” Yogami was pleased to hear it. Now there were just two more to hear about, and then he would only have the leader to worry about. He knew Leonardo was alive, because he had seen him over the past months. He hadn’t wanted his enemy to know that he was back until the last possible second, which was tonight’s attack on them. He aimed to finish them all.

The ninjas moved away from the area, thinking they were dead. Only then, it was safe to emerge from the dirt. By now, Don was needing some air. Splinter saw so and he took a breath of air, then he gave Don the mask so he could get some oxygen. Then they swam upwards toward safety. They would find a way to get in contact with their family again. They were too smart to be able to just be able to be taken down like this. They would find a way.

Once they surfaced, Don took off the scuba mask and let it fall to the sea floor. He and Splinter got on the shore and took a moment to collect themselves.

“What do we do now, Master?” Don asked sadly.

“I do not know, my son. For now, we must take cover and recover before we try to regroup. This has been hard on us all.” Splinter replied.

Splinter led the way to the peer. Don followed. They left footprints behind. Soon, they got to a warehouse that looked old and abandoned. It would be good cover for now.   
………………

Raphael had gotten away in the Battle Shell. He was driving for a place where he might be able to regroup his family afterwards. But then, he noticed a helicopter coming toward his truck. He had to act quick.

He put the truck on autopilot and rushed to the back and got on the Shell Cycle; lucky it was back there. The copter fired two missiled into the truck and there was an explosion. It stopped the Battle Shell and made it fall to its side, but not before Raph jumped out of the back on his bike. The smoke hid his exit.

He sat there looking at the damage for a moment, but knew he had to leave. He couldn’t get caught. He had to sacrifice the beloved truck.

The man in the copter then reported, “Master Yogami, the one called Raphael, has been terminated.”

“Excellent!” Yogami said. Now just one more. None of his ninjas had seen Leonardo yet, though they were looking.

Raph rode went back around the corned hence he came before the blast, and he was near Coney Island. He drove through a gas station and then under the underpass. He jumped off the Shell Cycle and climbed up the pillar. He also threw his helmet to the ground, it making a crack on impact.

He got up to the tracks and he ran across just as the train was about to go by and did after he got across. This was a good place he deemed. If only they had had a plan if this ever happened again. But they had never planned on this. Sure, Don had had a security system in the lair, and out of the lair, but they had been taken by surprise.

Raph swore he would get revenge on those evil ninjas as soon as possible, but right now, regrouping with his family was more important. They would all need time to recover from this. Sure, he could go to April or Casey’s, but it was too risky to be seen topside and going to Leatherhead’s might be too dangerous. There were still ninjas in the sewers.

He didn’t know what to do for the moment. He needed time to think of something. Raph got to Coney Island and knew it was closed. He jumped the fence and searched for a place to hide for now. He found a bridge to take cover under.   
…………….

Michelangelo and Klunk were still trying to get away from the machine chasing them. Mikey just drilled through the wall again into the train area and straight across. He couldn’t get hit by a train.

He got into another sewer and kept trying to get the gears to work. Then he said, “I have an idea, Klunk.” He knew what he needed to do.

The machine behind him finally had a clear shot, and he released three missiles. Just as the missiles hit the Tunneler, Mikey opened the door and he had a hold of Klunk and he jumped out into a hole alongside the wall.

The Tunneler hit and rolled hard on the sewer floor. Now it was gone. The man in the machine then reported back, “Master Yogami, Michelangelo is finished.”

Yogami was pleased indeed. No one had ever destroyed the turtles before, and now, he had succeeded in destroying one turtle’s whole family! Or so he thought. “Excellent!” he replied.

The machine left and that was when Mikey ran back the other way, away from the wreckage. He was mad that this had happened to him and his family. He still had Klunk with him, but now, where were they supposed to go? He ran back towards the area he had drilled and went back to the train area. He found a spot for now. He hoped to be able to reunite with his family soon.   
…………….

With all the turtles and their rat father presumed dead, now Yogami presumed there was only Leonardo left to deal with, again. He would have finished him last time if it hadn’t been for his family and friends interfering.

Yogami knew he needed to send a message to his human friends before they came down and got the same treatment. Putting on a trench coat disguise, he went to April O’Neil’s shop. Randall was down in the basement, as there was a customer.

April noticed a new customer walk in. “Be with you in just a moment.” Yogami looked around and waited for the other customer to leave before he would say anything.

April finished serving the old lady that was there, and she walked out. Then, April turned to the new person, “Thank you for waiting. How may I help you?” she asked.

Yogami had found a flower vase and picked it up. “I am looking for Leonardo.” he said.

April knew she couldn’t mention his name to people. “Um, Leo. I don’t know anyone by that name.” Of course, she could get Randall up here too.

“Uh huh. Let us not play games, Miss O’Neil.” Yogami stroked the vase carefully. Then he threatened to drop it and April started gasping, not wanting the vase to be broken. “Have you seen him of late?” he asked. He took hold of the vase again.

Since there was no one else in the shop at the moment, April knew she had to reply the right way. “How do you know Leo?” she asked cautiously.

“He tried to destroy my former master, many times. He and his despicable family! They killed him awhile back and I was hoping to leave him a message.” Yogami said. He put the vase back down and turned.

“O-kay. What is it?” April asked.

Yogami took out a familiar object and dropped it on her countertop. It landed upside down. “Let him know that I have destroyed his family! He is now the last of his kind! And let him know that his time will come, very soon!” Yogami warned. Then he walked out of the shop.

April gasped, and turned the object over. It was all banged up. It read, ‘Sewer Sweet Sewer.’ She knew this had been on her friends’ wall down in the lair. This meant that their lair was destroyed! She couldn’t believe this was happening!

April grabbed the picture and ran down to the basement, shouting, “RANDALL!”

Randall was in his room, fixing himself some lunch when he heard April call out his name in such a frantic way. He had never heard it before. He put the tray down and went to go see what was wrong.

“What’s wrong, April?” he asked as she came in.

“We have trouble, Randall!” she said. Tears had begun to fill her eyes.

“What is it?” he asked, ever curious.

She walked over to him and handed him the object. “You remember this?”

Randall took it and replied, “Yes. It’s from the turtles’ lair. How’d it get here?”

“A man in a disguise just brought it by. It wasn’t Casey. He said that he’s destroyed our friends! And Leo’s next!” April cried frantically. Her tears were falling.

Randall’s eyes widened. His friends were gone? This couldn’t be! Now he saw why she was crying.

Randall had never been a too emotional person as an adult at least, but this was one time where it couldn’t be helped. Leo being off in Japan was the only reason he was still alive.

“I’m glad you weren’t down in the lair today.” April sobbed.

Randall didn’t know what else to do but ended up taking the human woman into his arms and led her to his bed. They both sat down and he held her. She leaned into him and she began to really let loose. His head rested on top of hers. He set the picture down.

Tears began to fill his eyes too. He had never felt for anyone like this before. His bestest friends in the whole world were gone! He vowed vengeance on the party who had done it! He would love to take them out of the picture, for good! His tears of grief finally started to fall with April.

After awhile, April stopped crying just enough to push away from Randall. He had been a big support to her. “Randall, don’t go to the lair right now. There might still be someone there, waiting for Leo. They could kill you too. I couldn’t bare it if they took you too.” she said sadly.

Randall knew she was right. There was nothing they could do. If maybe after a period of time passed, then they could go and see what was left of the lair. He knew his friends wouldn’t have gone down without a fight though. They had died a hero’s death, as true warriors, in battle. But there was still a hope.

“They might still be alive, April. Until we know for sure, they are out there and alive.” Randall tried to get her to cheer up a little. “They wouldn’t just let themselves be killed.”

“We have to call Casey and let him know to stay away from the lair. It isn’t safe.” April said. She picked up Randall’s phone and dialed.

Casey was working on his bike at home today when his phone went off. It was in the afternoon, so he was up. He picked it up and saw Randall’s number on the id. He answered, “Hey, Randall. What’s up, man?”

“Casey, it’s me, April.” He heard on the line.

“Oh, April. What’s up, babe?”

“Don’t call me ‘babe.’ But listen Casey, I just got disturbing news to tell you. A Japanese man came into my store and left me something from the turtles’ lair. He said he destroyed them all! And Leo’s next if ever comes back. I’ve told Randall, don’t go to the lair. It’s for our own good right now.”

Casey was now in shock. His friends? Gone? Why did this always happen to them?! They were the good guys. This was the second home they had lost in their lives.

“I hope Leo doesn’t come back for awhile. You’re going to have to write and tell him.” Casey said.

“I know, and I will. Just don’t go to the lair, no matter how much you want to. There could still be someone there waiting for Leo, or one of his best friends.” April explained.

“Alright, April. And thanks for letting me know.” Casey said. They hung up.

Casey was now just as mad as April and Randall.

After hanging up with Casey, April then said, “Randall, it probably is just a good idea to stay out of the sewers, period, for awhile.”

“We will have to try to find their bodies, April.” Randall said, “give them the proper funerals they deserve if they are really dead.”

“I know. It hurts to have to wait.” April said. She broke down again and Randall held her again.

His tears had fallen, but were gone now. He just held the woman in his arms, letting her grief go. It would only help. He scowled at the walls angrily.

When they separated again, April went upstairs to close the shop. She was in no mood to deal with anymore customers today.

Randall took out a scrapbook of him and his friends. He looked at all the fun times they had had together. He knew he could go in invisibly, but if they used advanced technology, even he could be detected by that. Even he wasn’t safe. It was so hard to look at his friends’ faces, laughing and smiling and goofing around in those pictures. It made more tears come.

But now, he had to have more faith in Leo, should he ever come home again.

Upstairs, April also dragged out some pictures of her best friends. She wanted justice for her friends, and she knew Casey and Randall would too. She began to write to Leo in Japan. She didn’t know if he would get the letter or not, but she hoped he would. 


	33. Prodigal Son

During the long week being in their hidden places, it had been a struggle to find food and stay warm enough, as there was a good chill in the air. There was no snow luckily. It was at least in the 50’s right now temperature wise. It got down to the 40’s at night at the moment, but there would be sure to be another arctic blast soon.

Mikey and Klunk stayed warm enough below ground. The cat did try to keep his master warm enough.

Raph had to make campfires at times. He went through Coney Island’s food and soda supplies. What was left of them.

Don and Splinter had tried to keep each other warm. Don would have to leave though to find food for the both of them since he wasn’t as injured. He also got some medical supplies.  
……………

Leonardo had made to the ship port in Japan long before Yogami had attacked his home. The ship had arrived today back in New York. It was now a week later since the attack on his home, even though he wasn’t there at the time.

Leo looked out the port hole and made sure it was nighttime before he snuck off the ship. He had his trench coat on just in case if he was spotted.

Soon, he was glad to get to the sewers. As he got closer to home, he muttered to himself, “Wow. I’ve been gone so long, I actually missed these old sewers.” As he neared the lair’s entrance, he saw the damage. “Oh, no! The lair!” He gasped in shock. The Ancient One’s premonition had been accurate.

He was going to find out who did this! He took off his camping gear and trench coat and took out a katana, and approached the lair very cautiously should there still be someone in it, waiting for them to come back to it.

He walked into the remains of the lair and saw the extent of the damage. “What happened here?” he asked himself. There was virtually nothing left of his once, precious home. Then he noticed something on the floor.

Leo knelt down and saw it was the remnants of a shell cell, not knowing whose. There was no way to reach them by shell cell then. But he would know of a way to get in contact with his human friends. And he hoped Randall was alright. He knew the lizard came down more often.

Then Leo heard something, like something moved. He went on to see what it was, and to draw it out of hiding. Or could one of his family still be here?

From above, a machine was still in the lair. They would often come and switch when one needed to leave. The man in it was using infrared rays to see even if there was an invisible body. But it picked up a turtle’s body, the one that was left to take care of! The driver went down at once.

The turtle in blue turned to see his opponent. It was a huge red and black machine.

The man started firing at the turtle immediately. Leo dodged the blasts the best he could. He landed behind some debris. “You dare come into my home and do this?!” He demanded angrily. He took out his other katana as well and then he did short work of the machine.

It shut down and fell to the ground. Leo got off, but then went to see who it was.

The door was now open on the machine. The man lay there, winded. Leo slashed the seat belt that he wore. He looked at the symbol on the uniform. It was one he had seen before, a long time ago before his mental state was harmed.

“The Dark Dragons!” Leo growled. He grabbed the man by the shirt and put a katana at his throat after he had put one sword away. “My family, where are they?!” Leo demanded angrily.

“You’ll get nothing from me!” The man said and he pushed away from the turtle, hitting a self destruct button.

Leo knew what he had done and the machine began to act up. He jumped off the machine and ran for cover, out the front exit of the lair. The man did the same, but on the other side.

The machine self destructed and just as Leo had gotten out of the lair, it exploded, sending him flying several feet. He cried out at the force of its blast. But he landed safely. He stood up. “I need some answers.” he said.

Leo went topside and went to his friend, Angel’s house. He knocked on her bedroom window on the fire escape.

Her curtains were closed and the window locked. Angel opened her curtains after his knocking. She saw who it was and unlocked her window, opening it.

“Hey, whoa! This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you by, Leo?” Angel asked.

“Angel, my home is destroyed and my family was nowhere to be found, have you seen any of them?” Leo asked in a worried tone.

“No. I haven’t. I’m sorry to hear that.” Angel said. This also arose an anger in her too.

“Listen, Angel, I need your help.” Leo said.

“Anything, Leo.” Angel said.

“Now this is what we’re going to do…” Leo started his plan to get some answers to what happened.  
……………

There was a Dark Dragon black van outside April’s. They detected activity at April’s door. A girl with purple hair and several ear piercings walked up. It looked like she had a pizza box in her hands.

They scanned Angel’s face and had no file on her, but they wanted to see what she was doing there. She went inside the shop.

April was sitting at her counter, reading a newspaper. She had on a black sweater at the moment, with khaki pants. She had many pictures of the turtles and Splinter surrounding her at the moment. She looked miserable. Then there was a voice.

“Yo, Miss. Miss, I got your pizza you ordered.” Angel said.

April looked up. “Pizza? What? Angel?” she asked.

Angel winked at her. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out. Now do you want this pie or not?” She lifted the lid to reveal a note.

April lifted it to her eyes and read it: _‘Lair is destroyed! Have you heard from the others? - Leo’_

So Leo was back? He wouldn’t be getting that letter after all that she had sent, but he would be getting the news now.

April took out a pen and wrote on the back of the slip of paper Leo had written on. She knew to play along in this part to avoid the hidden danger. She knew her apartment was under survalliance right now.

“I ordered a pizza alright, but this isn’t it. This is the third time this month you guys have delivered the wrong pizza! I’m going to write a note to your boss and I want you to take it to him. This is an outrage, an outrage!” April shouted at the girl. She put the note and the lair’s picture in the box for Leo to see.

“Whatever, lady.” Angel replied with a wink.

Outside, the Dark Dragons had a clean record on Angel.

Angel dropped the pizza box off at a phone booth close to April’s. She went on past.

The top of the phone booth was open, at least for the moment. A sword suddenly came down onto it. It was Leo’s. He had tied a rope to the katana and was now pulling it up to see April’s response.

He untied the rope and tucked his sword away when he got it to the roof he was on, then he opened the box. He picked up the note.

 _“Leo, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say. The others are… Yogami says he got them all. He says, you’re next. Please be careful. He left this.”_ April’s note explained.

Leo’s eyes saddened as he read the note. He saw the Sewer Sweet Sewer picture, how it was all bashed up. Then he closed his eyes to prevent the tears from coming on. “No! He’s lying!” He let go of the paper and it blew away in the wind. “They’re alive! I know it!” Leo then ran off to try to find his family.

After Angel had taken the pizza box and note away, April went down to the basement to talk to Randall. She knew Leo would be nearby.

Randall let April into his room. He was stoic at the moment. He had been going through the grief too. His door had been open to her.

“Randall, Angel was just here!” April exclaimed. He looked at her. “So?”

“Leo’s back! He has to be nearby! You need to go out and catch up with him! I know you may not be the happiest with him for what happened before he left, but he’s our only hope to find the others right now! Go!” April urged him.

Randall knew she was right. “Alright.” he said and left the room. He would leave through the basement and come up from the alley in her driveway.

He came out invisible. He scanned around and didn’t see him. He tasted the air and found Leo’s scent. He followed it.

Leo had gotten over a few rooftops when he heard a voice. “Leo! Leo, wait up!” He stopped at that voice. It was Randall. He looked back and didn’t see him anywhere. He must have been invisible. There were still so many humans still out for the evening walking around and noisy enough for them not to hear Randall’s cry out.

Randall finally appeared to Leo when he caught up with him. He saw the lead turtle seemed just fine. He didn’t know what to say to him.

“Randall? Are you alright?” Leo asked in concern.

When Leo had spoken, the lizard saw and heard an instant change in Leo’s voice. Something different, something… from the past.

“Yes, I’m alright, and April’s alright. The leader of the Dark Dragons, the one that hurt you months ago, came to the shop and told April what he had done. We haven’t been to the lair, but you should stay away from it.” Randall explained, a little out of breath.

“I already know, Randall. It was destroyed.” Leo replied. “I now have to find the others. And they haven’t come by to see you?”

“No. If they are alive, I’m sure they went to find cover until they could regroup. But that’s hard telling.” Randall said.

“I got in a fight with a machine by the Dark Dragons in the lair. It self destructed, but now that it’s gone, I need to go back to the lair and examine to where there could be possible places they went. You’re the best chance that I’ve got to finding them faster. Will you help me?” Leo explained and asked.

Randall could see the determination and sadness in his friend’s eyes. This was the Leonardo he had known before the mental issues. He sighed. “Yes, I’ll help you. But you’ve got a lot to make up for!” he declared to Leo in a firm voice.

“Yes, I know. And I’m sorry for it all, Randall. And thanks. Let’s get going.” Leo replied.

They both went back to the sewers and went back to the lair to get started. Leo took out his flashlight and showed him around the lair. Randall couldn’t believe how horrible the lair looked.

“Where are you guys going to stay now?” Randall asked.

“We’ll find a place eventually.” Leo said. “Can you check the upstairs rooms?”

“Yes.” Randall said and Leo pointed the light up to him so he could see. The room where the mech had been up there had been Don’s room.

Randall saw that the room was destroyed too. All of Don’s projects were gone. He felt bad for his friends. He would make sure to help in any way he could.

The lizard checked all the rooms for signs of life, but nothing. They were all out of the lair, somewhere else for sure. When he got to the workshop, Randall saw a hole drilled in the wall.

“Leo! I see there’s hole that was drilled in the wall that wasn’t there before!” Randall called.

Leo was currently in his father’s room and came running when he saw the wall as his friend described.

“It looks like the Tunneler made that. One of them was in it. Can you make out who it was?” Leo asked.

Randall tasted the air. “Mike. His cat too.”

“Randall, you go after Mikey. I saw that the Shell Sub was gone too. I’ll go after Don.” Leo said. “You may not want to hold your breath for a long time underwater.”

“No, not particularly.” Randall replied. “Alright. I’ll go.”

“Meet back at your room with Mikey. I’ll come and get you when I’ve found Don.” Leo said. Randall nodded.

Randall went through the hole, with his tongue leading the way. Leo nodded and went back to start his search in the water. He managed to get in and went downward. He would find Don.

Randall followed the drill marks and soon found the Tunneler. He would have to bring Leo back to it later, but he went to check it out to make sure Mikey was okay.

When he got the door open, he tasted the air and found nothing inside. There was no stink inside, so there was no body in there. But still, it needed to be looked at some more. This was so hard to take in, but he would be there for his friends.

Leo was now swimming in the river, looking for Donny and the Shell Sub. He found the sub on the bottom with his flashlight. And he found Don’s scuba gear. His eyes widened. He went up to the surface after he grabbed the scuba gear.

“That was definitely the remains of the Shell Sub down there. And Don’s scuba tank is nearly empty.” Leo said to himself. “Alright. So much has happened. I have all the pieces, now I just have to put them together. Like the Ancient One taught me. Relax my mind. Allow thought to flow in, and without.” Leo began focusing his mind on meditation to see what happened.

In his mind, Leo could see what happened with Don and Splinter in the Shell Sub, how they had been chased and subdued. They had played it smart and sacrificed the sub, fooling the ninjas who had chased them. At least he knew that Don and Splinter were together.

Leo opened his eyes. “They’d have come ashore right about here, and then headed for the pier, looking for shelter.” He examined their tracks. Splinter had been leading the way with Don stepping on his father’s right after. Leo followed their tracks until he got to the peer and the tracks were gone. Now he would look through every warehouse until he found them.

The first building that he came to, he got on its roof and saw it had a cracked window opening. He jumped down, being absolutely silent.

Close by, there was a presence. Leo sensed it and he turned, pulled a sword out. The presence was also ready to fight if needed. He saw the body shape.

“Donny?” Leo asked. “It’s me.” he said in a kind manner.

Don relaxed when he saw it was Leo. He almost couldn’t believe it! A pain went through his left foot, and he put his bo down to support him like a walking stick. “Leo! You’re back!” he said, and limped over to Leo. He had been ready to protect both himself and his injured father, since he was the far less injured of the two of them.

They took each other’s right hands and shook them while Leo placed his left hand on Don‘s right shoulder. “Are you okay?” Leo asked.

“My son.” Splinter said, coming forward next.

“Master Splinter.” Leo said. “I knew it, I knew you were both alive.” Splinter placed a hand on his right arm. “Don’t worry, Sensei. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

Don leaned on him, “Oh man. It’s good to see you, bro.”

“We’ve got to get you two out of here before anymore Dark Dragons show up.” Leo said.

They left the warehouse. Leo had an idea of where to go for a new place so they wouldn’t crowd April’s place or Randall’s room. He hoped Randall had found Mikey.

Leo led Don and Splinter back to the basement just as planned, and then they could go together.  
…………….

Randall had found a bag of food and some kibble and a comic book when he went further down the train tunnel. He knew Mikey must be nearby. He could still taste his scent on the air. He followed it, carrying the comic book in his lower right arm. He knew Mikey would want a comic to read.

Randall heard a train come and got out of the way. After it passed, he continued on up, then, he saw a shape like a turtle lying over in a crawl space by the wall. He knew Mikey was often a deep sleeper.

Just as he got closer, a cat gave out an angry sound. It was Klunk. After what they had been through, Klunk was just being defensive.

“Hey, Klunk, calm down. It’s me, Randall. You know me.” Randall said calmly.

Klunk caught the lizard monster’s scent and he calmed down. He gave off a gentle kitten like meow. Randall petted him. Then he sat down next to Mikey. He put his hands on his left arm and shoulder.

“Huh? Randall?” Mikey questioned. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me. I’ve come to get you to safety.” Randall said.

“I had this strange dream.” Mikey rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Klunk jumped off of him as Mikey rose. Randall helped him to his feet. He let him put his arm on his upper shoulders to help him back to his place. Klunk followed along beside them.

“It’s going to be okay, Mike. Your brother, Leo, is back.” Randall said as they went.

“He is? Where is he?” Mikey asked.

“He went into the river looking for Donatello. He agreed to bring him back to my apartment. Then you guys can worry about finding a new place to stay.” Randall explained.

They soon did get back to the basement, where Don and Splinter were. They didn’t see Leo though.

“Where’s Leo?” Mikey asked.

“He went to go look for Raph.” Don said. He was lying back on the bed, trying to rest his sore foot. It felt good to be in a bed again.

“Are you alright, Michelangelo?” Splinter asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright, and Klunk’s alright.” Mikey replied. He let go of Randall and went to the bed as well.

Randall knew he was going to have a full house in his room, but it was worth it to know that his friends were all alive.

…………….

Leo found the Battle Shell all blown to smitherines. He saw some tracks behind it. “Looks like the Battle Shell took a missile.” He examined the tracks. “But these could be Shell Cycle tracks.” He followed the tracks until he came to an underpass. He saw something lying in the road. “And that is definitely Raph’s helmet.”

Leo held up the helmet and closed his eyes again. He saw what Raph had gone through in the Battle Shell on its last run before being destroyed. Raph had gotten away on the Shell Cycle and ran over the bridge for Coney Island.

He opened his eyes. “The D train. Coney Island. I hope Raph is in better shape than his helmet.” Leo admitted.

At the fun grounds at Coney Island, Raph had had a tough many days living there. He hoped his family was safe. He had just finished off a soda and threw it away. Then there was a shadow that approached.

Raph growled and stood, ready for a fight if it had been ninjas that had tracked him down. He twirled his sais.

“I thought I’d find you here.” The voice sounded familiar.

“Leo?” Raph asked, wanting to know if he was real. He smiled. “Leo, am I glad to see you.” He relaxed. “Leo, they found the lair. They got to us. The others, I don’t know what happened to them…” Raph’s voice had a sad tone to it. “I…” Leo placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Raph. Randall and I found them. They’re waiting for us back at Randall’s apartment.”

“I’m glad you’re back, bro.” Raph admitted happily.

“Come on. Let’s get back to the others.” Leo suggested. Raph nodded and followed without objection.  
…………….

Raph and Leo made it back to Randall’s apartment. “Guys, I found him! He’s okay.” Leo declared proudly.

Everyone looked over to see that Raph was fine.

“I see you found Mikey too, Randall.” Leo said.

“Yes. He’s fine too.” Randall replied.

“Hey, I heard you guys were havin’ a party!” Raph teased as walked in.

“Raphael! You made it!” Don said proudly.

Raph walked past Don. “Yeah, yeah.” He walked angrily up to a wall. “I can’t believe the Dark Dragons did this to us! I can’t believe they took our home!” Raph yelled, clenching his hands into fists.

“Look, Raph. Nothing is permanent. We have to flow with change.” Leo came up to him to try to calm him down.

Randall knew of words just like it. The Winds of Change.

“Perhaps Leonardo has learned a thing or two from the Ancient One.” Splinter noticed. Leo was looking at him. “Yes. I can see it in your eyes. I have my son back.” Then Leo looked away.

“I can see something else in your eyes. He will be well guarded and his skills are much improved.” Splinter warned Leo about Yogami.

Randall was sure he had never had to face Yogami himself just yet, but he would be happy to take him out as well, if he could help in any way possible.

Leonardo would like to face that asshole again for what he had done to him in the past that had made him like that in the first place!

“Do you know where to find him?” Randall asked Leo. “I’d like to help too.”

“No, Randall. They need you here. I’ll be back, guys. My skills are improved too. I’ll be careful.” Leo said. “And when I get back, we’ll go find a place of our own again. Randall, thanks for your help and hospitality, but we don’t want to stay here for long and make it too crowded in this one room for you.”

“There is a van outside on the street, so you can’t be seen. Even I have been down here in the basement a lot more since we heard about the attack on your home before knowing you were alive.” Randall explained. “And you can take all the time you need.”

Upstairs, April was starting to hang some curtains up in her shop for privacy from the ninjas looking in. It was her shop. They had no right to see in. She would only open them for business so her customers could see what she had during the day.

“I’ll be back soon.” Leo left the room to go dish out some revenge on the enemy. He was going to make sure that Yogami really paid for what he had done. Even if it took a few days.

Splinter was lying on the floor in Leo’s camping gear while he let his sons have the bed.

“Yo, Randall. How about some sodas or somethin’?” Raph asked.

“And some pizza! And Chinese food.” Mikey added. Klunk meowed. “And some kibble.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Randall smiled at his friends. He could put up with them because he was glad they were all safe. He wished he could help Leo, but yes, with the others all worn down and had a few injuries from the battle, he would look after them.

He went upstairs. April was watching TV. “April.” Randall spoke up.

“Hi, Randall.” she said.

“The guys are all downstairs. They are wanting some Chinese food. Can you order some? I think you have some pizza mix. Mike wants some pizza.” Randall explained.

April perked up when she heard that. “They are?” She got up and went downstairs and greeted them.

“Guys! It’s so good to see you alive!” April said happily, but saw that Splinter was injured. They all had some bruises. Randall walked in behind her.

“Hi, April.” Don said with a smile.

April gave hugs to Don and Mikey. Raph said hi. “Of course, Randall and I can get you some food. We’ll be back soon.” The woman declared and pulled Randall out the door.

April called the Chinese order in while Randall began to make some pizza in the kitchen. Her curtains were drawn so they wouldn’t see Randall either. Randall made a big meat lovers pizza.

Soon, the pizza was done, just as the delivery guy delivered the Chinese food. Randall vanished while April got the order and paid for it. After he was gone, the two of them took the food down to the guys.

Don, Splinter, Mikey, and Raph were beyond famished. It had been a hard many days in their places of shelter to just get food. They hadn’t gone to April’s in fear of leading any ninjas there. April had managed, but Randall couldn’t been seen either.

The friends all had a great dinner together, making sure to save some for Leo for when he got back. Mikey had also been glad to get the comic book back.  
………………

Leo had asked some punks around the city about where the Dark Dragons could be found, and they had said in the lower Bronx.

Leo found his way there and he found the headquarters. He didn’t care how long he was gone. He knew his family couldn’t be in better hands.

He found his way inside the big mansion-like building. Up at the top was Yogami’s lair. He would be sure to even the score, tonight.

Yogami was doing some paperwork, figuring out orders when there was a picture thrown on his desk. It surprised him for a moment, but he didn’t flinch.

“Hello, Yogami. Got your message.” Leo said in a low voice.

“I am impressed. Security here is very tight. And yet, here you are, undetected.” Yogami replied back.

Leo stepped out of the shadows. “So, you are the new Shredder.”

“Yes! And I am your doom!” Yogami growled and got up, bringing a katana out. He didn’t have his armor on though.

Leo took out one of his own katanas and twirled it in his hand, in a new kind of way, like the way the Ancient One had taught him to do. He and Yogami prepared to face each other.

“You have too far this time, Yogami!”

“Not far enough! Only when you lie battered and broken at my feet, will Oruku Saki truly be avenged!” Yogami exclaimed.

So, that’s what this had been about. That stupid, evil Utrom again.

“Make no mistake, Leonardo, son of Splinter. Your path ends here! And I can finish what I started on you so long ago!” Yogami sneered, and then he attacked the turtle.

Leonardo retaliated. Their swords clashed and they rolled around the room. Leo started beating Yogami. “No! This can’t be happening! I must have my revenge!” The man yelled angrily. He got away from the turtle for a moment and took out a communicator, but that was sliced in half.

Yogami was surprised. Then Leo’s sword was on his shoulder. He kneeled at the ninja’s code of honor when Leo commanded it.

“Go ahead. Do it! Finish me!” Yogami ordered.

Leo took his sword off and from when he remembered what had happened so long ago, he was just about to make a move to behead the man, but then, Yogami kicked Leo’s legs out from under him. He ran for a hidden doorway in the room and got out. Leo had tried to catch him, but he had gotten away.

Leo glared at the door. What a coward! He left the headquarters before he could be discovered.  
…………….

Leo was glad to be reunited with his family. He got the leftover pizza and Chinese. This was the first time in a long time he had had them again. He had missed them, though the Japanese food he had had while with the Ancient One hadn’t been bad either.

Leo gave a new walking stick to Master Splinter. “This walking stick is said to have come from a very mystical and ancient tree. I got it with the Ancient One. I carried it all this way for you.” The turtle said. This stick had some special curves on it, not like his old plain stick before.

“Aw! A very gracious gift. Thank you, Leonardo.” Splinter said as his son kneeled and bowed before him since he was on the floor. “Welcome home.”

April and Randall admired that they truly had their friend back.

“Did you get rid of Yogami?” Randall asked.

“I was just about to, but he got my legs out from under me and he ran through a hidden door in his office.” Leo replied.

“He’s such a coward.” Don said.

“We’ll meet again, one day.” Leo agreed. “For now, you guys get some strength back first and then we’ll start finding our own place.”

Randall knew his friends needed the space to get well enough before moving. Mikey and Raph weren’t too bad really, but it was Splinter who was the worst of them. Don had a sprained foot. It was bandaged and set to heal now.

Randall left his room to his friends and he slept up in April’s apartment on her couch.  
……………

It was only for a few days that the turtles and Splinter stayed with them. Leo had gone out house hunting on his own. He found a place under Cental Park, under Belvedere Castle. He tore some boards off the entrance so it would be easier for his family to get into. Then he went to go get them, as they were recovered enough to travel now.

When he got back, he told the others that he had found a place and it was time for them to be on their way. April made sure they had plenty of bandages and medicine before they left. Randall wanted to go with them.

With his family in tow, Leo led the way to the new lair. It was far from the old lair. And it was an hour’s walk to Leatherhead’s now. Their croc friend had only lived about three minutes away from the old lair. They hoped LH was okay and the Dark Dragons hadn’t found him.

Randall supported Master Splinter. Being older meant he didn’t recover quite as fast as his sons did. He had some bruised ribs and a cut on the head still healing. His chest was also healing from when Yogami slashed him in his room.

Don still used his bo as a walking stick, but he was well enough to walk on his own. Raph would grab him if he were to start falling.

They soon arrived at the new place. When Leo showed it to them, they were all amazed at its size. Don stepped further forward. “This must be one of the earlier pumping stations for the reservoir. I think I’ve seen it on the old city’s planning. Very nice!”

“It’s incredible!” Randall agreed.

“And look at all the space.” Mikey agreed.

“We can even use the water for some more advanced training too. Being turtles and all.” Leo said.

“Not me.” Randall said.

“I could even have more space for my own gym.” Raph smiled.

“Of course, it really needs a lot of cleaning too.” Mikey said.

“Nothing we can’t all manage together.” Leo said.

They all had had to clean up their other lair too when they first found it. Now it was just time to do it again. This time, they had an extra helper, who had four arms. Randall could get up into places that they couldn’t without climbing gear on.

They were sure that April and Casey would be glad to help out too as needed. And for moving some of the bigger stuff, they would also need Leatherhead’s help.

If there was also one thing that Don needed to do, aside from making a new security system, he needed to make some new shell cells.

Life had begun a new chapter in their lives with this new lair.

 


	34. Outbreak

Randall found himself down in the new lair a lot of times more than ever now, helping his friends clean and organize their new home. He didn’t like house cleaning, but knew it had to be done. He took dusters and took them up into the higher pipes to clean them up. 

April and Casey got special vaccums for the guys to use. 

Everyone had chosen their own rooms. Splinter got one that had water in it, and was probably the second largest one. Don had the biggest room because it was both his own room, his lab, and his workshop and infirmary. Though he kept the infirmary part closed off for sterile reasons for when any one of them could get hurt topside. 

Raph liked having a bigger gym area close to where they had chosen for the dojo. 

Leo had started setting up his room to be relatively simple, but it was big enough for him to train in there in there too should other spaces be occupied. He liked to train by himself as well as with his family. 

Mikey wished Leo would trade rooms with him, because he ended up getting the smallest room of all. 

Then there were a few other rooms that were guest rooms and one for Randall himself. As Randall explored and observed this reservoir lair, if this had been the lair before, he would have loved to stay in their home with them for sure, but then, this lair would have been the one destroyed instead. He was just glad they had it now. Now he could have a real room here when he decided to stay over and have more privacy. If he ever had to be forced out of April’s place, this is where he would return to. 

The guys went out every few nights to scavenge for parts they would need to make the new lair homey-like. Sure, they all loved the space of their new home, it just wasn’t the old lair. But then, Splinter and the turtles had still been a little cramped in that lair too. But it had been bigger than the lair that the turtles had spent their first fifteen years in growing up. This was their third lair. 

When the guys went to April’s place, she always kept her living room curtains drawn. They came up from the basement as always. They just had to use the back stairs so ninjas wouldn’t see them. April and Casey had their rights to privacy, as well as their friends. 

And while the turtles and their friends were adjusting to their new life in the new lair, getting it ready to be a home, there were also other things at work too in the city. Something that no one had ever suspected would come about. Things that had started with Agent Bishop’s fake alien invasion months ago. 

The blue goo that had gotten washed down into the sewers after the fake alien invasion that the turtles and Randall had tried to stop, there were new kinds of creatures emerging from the sewers. Freaky creatures at that.   
…………….

Out west, at Area 51, was where Bishop and Stockman were at the moment. Bishop’s body was currently breaking down and in need of a new one. Having dealt with aliens clear back to the 1800s, Bishop had found ways to keep his life preserved for a long time, for a human, by having cloned bodies playing host to his mind. 

With careful thoughts to the design of the new body, Stockman now had just moved Bishop’s consciousness to a new cloned body. One that was stronger, faster, and showed no signs of rejection. Stockman felt he was a work of art, so to speak. 

Stockman had started getting reports from New York about the appearance of strange, freaky creatures. He recognized signs of it, but he chose not to tell Bishop about it.   
……………

One night, the turtles and Randall were all out scavenging for more parts in a dumpster. Don and Mikey were taking their turns in it while Leo, Raph, and Randall were around, keeping on lookout. Randall had the highest point. 

Don was getting a little noisy in there, as he was sure he could find a working transmitter. 

Leo was down by the edge of a corner, and Raph was up on a fire escape. The noise was getting to Raph. Leo looked up at Randall. The lizard was looking around carefully. 

“Hey, Don. Make a little more noise, why don’t cha. I don’t think they could hear ya in Jersey.” Raph remarked, annoyed at the racket he was making. 

Don stood up, just as annoyed at his brother. “Do you want to get in here and find me a salvageable transmitter? Please, be my guest!” 

“Oh, someone’s cranky.” Raph mocked him. 

“Cranky! Do you know how much work I put into the old lair?” Don questioned his older brother. 

Randall knew what it was like to work on something so hard and then have it go down in flames, but a home was different and more important than one evil project, he knew now. But he got where Don’s words were coming from. He continued to observe. Ever since the attack, the guys didn’t feel safe going out alone at the moment. 

Mikey then rose out of the other side. “I know how ya feel, Don. I lost my entire comic book collection.” 

“Comic books? I had specimens, schmatics, all my notes, all the theories April, Randall, and I were working on-” Don went on. 

From above, Randall looked down at Leo. “Psst!” he motioned. Leo looked up at him. Randall pointed upward, meaning they had company coming. 

“Shh!” Leo shushed the two youngest ones. “Disappear!” Leo ordered. He backed into the shadows. So did Raph. Don and Mikey went down into the dumpster. Randall vanished invisibly. 

Some ninjas then jumped over the rooftops. One looked over the edge to see if there was anything in the alley. Nothing that he could see. He moved on with the rest of his fellow ninjas. 

Randall reappeared. Leo tapped on the dumpster and Don and Mikey were able to lift the lid. Raph came forward on the fire escape. 

“Aw, yuck! Next time, I’ll take lookout duty.” Mikey wiped some trash off of himself, complaining. 

“Great! More of Yogami’s ninjas. We should be the ones out there hunting them, not the other way around.” Raph stated. He jumped down from the fire escape. 

“I can agree there.” Randall said, coming down. 

“We’ll handle Yogami, Raph. But on our terms, not his.” Leo said. “We’ll handle whatever comes our way.” Then Leo heard a truck coming. “Company’s coming. Let’s keep moving.” 

Leo jumped up to the fire escape to get back to the roof, his brothers following. Randall climbed up the wall on all eights, keeping up pretty good. His tail was the last thing over the roof’s edge before the truck coming came to a stop. Two sewer workmen got out.

One was more edgy than the other one. “I’m telling ya, it ain’t safe. I’ve been hearing things.” The younger, taller one said. He had a yellow suede jacket on. His name was Carl. 

The older, shorter man with a blue suade jacket on laughed. His name was Todd. 

“Go ahead, laugh.” Carl said. “I’m just saying, the night shift freaks me out. Harry was out the other night. He said he saw something.” 

“I’ll bet he did. Harry would say he saw a giant crocodile, or one of those giant turtles down there.” Todd said. 

“I’m not making this up.” Carl pulled the lid off the sewer. “There’s all kinds of stories floating around. There’s things down there, man.” he said in a fearful voice. 

“You watch too many monster movies. Don’t worry. I’ll go.” Todd said calmly. “Chicken! Bck! Bck!” he mimicked a chicken’s sounds. Carl didn’t care. He was glad he wasn’t down in the sewer. 

Todd went down to the sewer and found some wires that looked like they had been chewed up, thinking rats did it. He called up to Carl, “Carl, get down here and bring your splicing kit. We’re going to be down here all night.” He didn’t see the freaky creature sneaking up on him. 

Just as Carl was getting ready to bring down the splicing kit to his co-worker, he heard him scream, “What? No! AHHHH!” Then the pulling rope on the wheel started pulling and it got pulled all the way off and down into the sewer. 

“Todd! Todd!” Carl called down to his coworker, and said his name in worry. Then he heard a monstrous roar from down in the sewer. It meant that one of these creatures had gotten Todd!   
……………

The turtles and Randall were coming back down to the sewer again. Mikey kicked a can. “This really stinks on ice! I miss my room. I had it just right.” He was down first and the others were joining him. “All Fung Sheuied and everything. I miss my stuff. I miss my video games. I miss my blankie.” Mikey complained. 

“Don’t worry, Mikey.” Leo spoke up next to him. He put an arm around his shoulders to try to soothe him. “The new lair will be perfect. Central Park. Turtle pond. Change is good.” 

“Is that Ancient One wisdom?” Raph asked rhetorically. 

“Hey, I need to make one more stop.” Don said. “See what our favorite junkyard has to offer.” The others walked past Mikey, when he angrily kicked the can into another tunnel. They knew he was frustrated that it had happened. He went with the others. 

Down the other tunnel, a creature’s foot hand picked up the can, testing it. It crushed it.   
……………

In Bishop’s lab, just as Bishop himself was getting dressed again, an associate came up and told Stockman that a new report had just come in from New York again. 

“Uh, this probably isn’t the best time.” Stockman said in a worried voice. 

Bishop had to know what the man was talking about. “Stockman, what did he mean by ’another report?’” 

“Well, while you were under the weather, shall we say, there were some minor reports that were coming in from New York about some strange creatures.” Stockman explained. 

“What strange creatures?” Bishop demanded. 

Stockman showed him a few pictures. Overgrown, freaky looking creatures with multiple limbs and red eyes. One looked like a mutated fish, another looked like a mutated rat. 

“There could be any number of causes for these creatures.” Stockman said. 

“Give me your favorite.” Bishop ordered firmly. 

“Look at the eyes.” Stockman pointed out. “The DNA and accelerant was more potent than I thought. When you staged the alien invasion, some of the accelerant after cleanup got into the sewers and came into contact with animal life, thus mutating it.” Stockman explained his best theory. 

“My goal and research is to protect this planet from alien invasion, and now, you’re telling me that I’ve unleashed this… this plague?!” Bishop snapped angrily. 

Stockman really wanted a new body of his own. “Uh, yes.” he replied reluctantly. “I would like to get started on my new body.” 

“This plague is now your number one agenda, Doctor. We have to contain this before word gets out and traces it back to my work. It has to to contained before it spreads! Only after it is contained will your new body be forth coming.” Bishop exclaimed. “Pack your essentials, Stockman. You’re going to New York.” 

Stockman was disappointed that Bishop wouldn’t let him get his own body now. If he could have a new body, why couldn’t he? But he did as he was told. 

Stockman and a bunch of commandoes packed up what could be used to eliminate the monstrous plague in New York. They couldn’t let it get out of that city.   
…………..

Randall and the turtles crawled out of a large sewer pipe. Mikey was right behind him. Mikey had wanted to change rooms and kept on urging someone to change with him. 

“I’m just saying, we shouldn’t be hasty with the room assignments.” Mikey said. 

“Cause you got the smallest one.” Raph joked at him. 

“Some people don’t like too much room. Come on, Leo, trade with me! How much room do you really need to meditate and be boring?” Mikey asked Leo, hoping to get a reaction from him. 

Then Don pulled out his flashlight and held it close to his face. “Oooh!” he made a spooky voice. 

“AH!” Mikey screamed in fear. The others all laughed at him. 

“Ha! Ha! Very funny! You know I hate-” Mike started, but stopped when something dropped behind him. He looked behind him. 

Don aimed his flashlight on the object, and it looked like a crushed tin can. Then he aimed it up to the ceiling and there were a few bug-like creatures up there. This was the guys’ first encounter with these mutated creatures. 

Mikey started shaking in fear. “Trying not to scream… again.” he said, and looked up to see one right above him. He screamed again, in a girly voice. 

The others knew this was something to worry about. They had never seen anything like this before. The one above Mikey started to drop on him, but not before Raph managed to get him out of the way. Randall jumped away with them. The bug was now on the ground. 

“Look out!” Raph cried out. 

“What is that thing?” Randall asked. 

“Is this your nightmare, or mine?” Mikey asked Raph. They both took out their weapons. Mikey handed Randall his tonfas. 

There were five creatures total. They all dropped down next. The first one charged at Raph, and his sais met it. 

Don tried to analyze what they were. 

The bug pushed Raph down to the floor. “Definitely… mine! It’s bugs! Why’d it have to be bugs?!” Raph yelled out. 

Everyone now had their weapons ready. Don saw what they looked like. “They’re… ticks. Sort of.” he said. 

One was coming at Mikey and Randall, and Raph leaped over Mikey’s shell, kicking the tick in the face. It forced it back. Then Mikey got a hit in. A third one came at Randall, and he too, got two good hits into the face. 

Another came toward Leo and Don. Leo side stepped the tick. 

“Well, Leo, you’re all enlightened now. What do we do?” Mikey asked in fear. 

“Simple, and uncomplicated. RUN!” Leo ordered. 

They all turned tail and ran away from the ticks.   
……………

Elsewhere in the sewers, Bishop’s commandos were encountering hosts of different creatures that had been contaminated. They burnt the creatures alive so it would keep from spreading the infected DNA. 

Stockman was with one of the groups. He wanted one of the creatures to study, to be able to later find a cure for the issue, other than burning everything. Of course, he was behind the group, and making sure the commandos understood that his welfare had to come first too.   
……………

The turtles and Randall kept on running away from the ticks. 

“Ya think we lost them?” Randall asked. 

“I’m sure we’re perfectly safe.” Mikey replied. 

Just as they thought they were getting away, a big, blue bug creature jumped in front of them, making them grind to a halt. 

Their eyes all lit up in fear. Raph was the most afraid. “Bugs! Why’d it have to be bugs?!” he demanded to know. 

There was a giant blue cockroach in front of them, but with Raph standing in front. The roach seemed to be taking that as rude. It punched Raph in the stomach, sending him flying back into another tunnel side. He was now on his hands and knees. 

But he didn’t stay down long. He snarled and got up and charged the bug, taking out his sais. He cut off one of its legs, making it scream in pain, then he kicked it hard in its abdomen, making it pop open, blue goo coming out. 

“I hate bugs! And I hate ooze!” Raph exclaimed, getting covered in the goo. Then he jumped up and kicked it in the face, sending it onto its back. He jumped away. “Bishop’s aliens were bad enough! And now we got this?! At least ninjas got a little more meat to ’em!” 

Don came over and began examining the fallen bug. He rubbed his chin in thought. “Look at these tentacles. They’re amazing! Gross, but amazing.” The others looked over at his explanation. “Some kind of mutation.” 

The others walked over to him. “Whoa, hold it. We’re the mutants in this town.” Raph declared. “We don’t need these butt uglies steppin’ on our rep.” 

Then there was another noise. They looked up at the upper tunnels. 

“Uh, what’s that?” Randall asked fearfully. He still had his tonfas in his lower arms. The others were looking up fearfully too. 

“I gotta tell ya. I’ve seen a lot of monster movies. And this sorta thing, isn’t good.” Mikey pointed out. They all had their weapons drawn again. 

Three more roaches stepped out from the upper tunnels, but one of them had a human look to its upper half! He had disgusting, creepy tentacles. He also wore the same blue suede jacket as Todd, the sewer worker! It was him, only he was mutated as a roach/human cross. 

The human roach was the freakiest mutated bug of all to the turtles and Randall. Randall had never, ever seen a human get crossed with another creature before. Boy, the monsters of his world would probably even be freaking out at this find! 

The roach man began to approach the five reptiles. They all began to tense up, bracing to have another scuffle. Then he stood before them. “Splicing kit. Bring your splicing kit!” he made some raspy breathing and saying. 

“Tell me that thing didn’t just talk.” Mikey said. 

“It’s intelligent!” Don declared. 

“Mikey talks and we don’t call him intelligent.” Raph said. 

Leo looked up and shouted, “Raph, watch out!” he warned. 

Raph looked up and another roach jumped down on top of him. More roaches gathered around. 

The man roach stepped toward Don, Mikey, and Randall. Randall was backing up. Mikey started to go toward it, ready to fight it off. Then Don stopped him, “Mikey, no! We should try to talk to it.” 

“It’s a vicious, disgusting cockroach with a human sticking out of it! What do you want to talk about? Current events?” Mikey exclaimed. 

The roach growled, and then he threw his tentacles out to try to stab one of them. Don pushed Mikey out of the way. That did it for Randall too. He climbed up onto the walls, keeping a hold of his tonfas. Another roach up there spotted him and started going after him. 

Down below, the one that had attacked Raph had a hold of the red masked turtle by his right wrist. “Hey! Tentacles off!” Raph warned, then he snapped the tentacle. “I said, tentacles off!” Then he charged the roach and punched it a couple of times in the abdomen and finally kicked it. 

The roach was sent was back toward the tunnels it came out of and it got up and went back up, knowing now this wasn’t a meal to contend with. “Yeah, you better run!” Raph shouted after it. 

Leo faced off with one too. He sliced it a couple of times with his katana, sending it off. 

Don and Mikey were still dealing with the blue man roach. The tentacles were going everywhere. Mikey had just been knocked into the wall. Don knocked them aside and his bo was grabbed and flipped onto his shell. Then Raph came to his rescue. He kicked him back, allowing Donny to start to get up. Raph came up to him, “You alright, bro?” he asked Don. He helped him up. 

“Thanks.” Don said. 

Then Mikey saw the roach man coming back. “Don, Raph! Watch out!” he called out to his brothers. 

They both looked behind them and saw the roach coming at them and the tentacles were on the way out again. “Move!” Raph pushed Don to his left. Don tried to get away, but one of the tentacles managed to get into his right thigh. 

Don cried out. Raph got a hold of a tentacle with his sai. Don rubbed the wound. “My leg.”

“You okay?” Raph asked. 

“Yeah. Just a nick. Thanks again.” Don said. 

On the ceiling, Randall tried to get away from the roach following him, but he knew he wasn’t going to shake it. He vanished from its view. The roach was dumbfounded. Where did it go? 

The floating tonfas on the other hand were moved up to the top hands and Randall went back and snarled as he gave the roach two blows to the face, knocking it back and it lost its footing on the ceiling, making it fall to the floor. It too got up and went back up the tunnel. 

Randall was satisfied with his fight, but he watched from above what was happening with the turtles. 

The roach man kept on attacking. Don whipped a leg out and Mikey jumped on him, making him back up. Leo came up from behind and kicked him, making him land on his front. He got up and realized these creatures were more formidable than they looked. He looked around for an escape. Then he ran for the tunnels. 

When he was gone, the others turned to each other. “Who’s for getting the shell outta here?!” Mikey asked. 

Randall finally came down from the wall and joined them. 

“We gotta go after, whatever the shell it is!” Raph demanded. 

“Let the poor thing go.” Don said. 

“We need to regroup and figure out what’s going on.” Leo declared. “Somehow, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these things.” 

“You guys pulled off a better fight than I did against those bugs. I’m not looking forward to it.” Randall said. 

“We don’t have much of a choice.” Leo said. 

“I can think up some ideas to come up with some armor and weapons to better deal with anymore of them.” Don proclaimed. “Randall, you could help me. I still do have my tech tab that had the DNA of the alien invasion. We can go over those again. I saw the blue ooze that came out of the roach Raph broke open.” 

Don took a DNA sample for further analysis. They went back to the lair afterward. 

Don ran the DNA sample through his analyzing equipment in his lab. While it ran through that, he also set about trying to get the new security system set up. He was going to make doubly sure they covered a lot more so they could be prepared. He wasn’t about to let his family be attacked in their home a second time. 

Randall went through some calculations on it. He was seeing results that looked like the same as from the aliens from the invasion months ago. 

“Hey, Don. It’s been a long night. Why don’t you take it easy?” Mikey suggested. 

“I’ll rest easier when the new security system is finished.” Don replied, finishing with a camera. He was up on a ladder. “Whatever those things are, I sure don’t want ‘em in here.”

Then the computer gave off a sound. “Don, it’s ready!” Randall told him. 

Don came down and came over and looked at it. “Good. My analysis is finished.” he said. The others all came over. “I got a sample from one of the roaches Raph took out. Something about the ooze was familiar. I compared it to data I had collected on my pda awhile back, and I was right!” 

“Right about what?” Leo asked. “Your theory?” 

“Bishop. DNA from Bishop’s aliens has somehow mixed with these creatures. And it looks like its somehow spreading! If that’s the case, it’s going to get worse. A lot worse!” Don explained. 

This definitely had them all concerned now. Randall also saw to Don’s leg. It didn’t look bad, just a gash. But it was still a worry. What if some DNA had got pumped into Don’s system?   
……………..

Bishop demanded to know from Stockman if the plague was going to be containable, and he truthfully didn’t know. Stockman was amazed at how many species of animals they had come across. But he still needed one of them to study. 

Then, the roaches had come out of the lower tunnels. Stockman saw the blue man roach as the one that he wanted to study. 

The commandos started to subdue the roach man. He didn’t like what they were doing. The commandos started to fire electricity at him, getting him subdued to take back to their facility in Nevada. At least Stockman now had his sample to study. 

And the freaky creatures were occurring above ground too. Something would have to be done about this. But would it be Bishop or the turtles to put a stop to it?


	35. Trouble with Augie

Randall was going to be a lot more careful in going through the sewers now, being on the lookout for those creatures. And he thought he was a monster. 

He hoped to continue to help to study the DNA results and help Don with stuff around the lair. Don had become quite the scientist to help him to learn more about big science stuff that he would have never known otherwise. 

The two of them even began working on a new Battle Shell together. While Don did some more camera setups, Randall worked on the new truck. And vice versa. They also kept it secret from the others. 

Mikey wished he could have Randall to himself again, but given that Randall had an adult perspective as much as his brothers, during this time of getting a new home set up to make it a home, Randall was more in the mood to be doing things rather than just playing video games or discussing comic books. 

April and Casey even went out and bought a new big screen TV for the lair. Leatherhead helped to carry it down. He and Don got the new cable system set up so anyone could watch it when they weren’t busy. 

Don and Randall were also concerned about the creatures starting to head to April’s basement because of the special tunnel. They both set up a security system close to there too. They were being prepared more than ever. 

After talking to Leatherhead too about the creatures, the croc agreed to help out as well. He took a look at the DNA and started coming up with tranquilizers. He figured the outbreak was spreading via if the blue ooze got into their bodies. He and Don also started making a container to contain and study a larger mutation some time. They had to find a way to perhaps stop it. 

Randall even wanted to help study the chemicals used to help make tranquilizers for the creatures too. The mutant family could use all the help they could get. Randall even thought about if his old assistant, Fungus, if he could be a part of it, but he was eternally banished from his old world. They would have to make due with what they got. 

Randall still did his job at April’s, now more in the evenings when the newly installed curtains were closed. But he only worked from 5 to 8. It would be the time he went to go over to the turtles’ lair to help out for the night. 

It was a warmer winter this year. They didn’t go topside all that much because of the ninjas and the colder weather right now, but sometimes. Randall still didn’t go out in the cold much. But Leo made sure to keep the runs topside short.   
…………..

One night, Randall was at home, just taking a night off from working in the lair. The turtles came over for a night of relaxation and wanting to see April at the shop, to see how things were going over here. It had been awhile since they had been over here. They dropped in on Randall first. 

Randall heard a knock at his door. “Yeah.” he replied. 

“Hi, Randall.” Mikey greeted. 

It wasn’t unusual for Mikey to drop in. “Hi, Mike. What brings you by?” 

“We just came for a visit with April, but letting you know we were here.” Don said. 

“She’s probably cleaning the shop right now.” Randall said. “She likes to do those touch ups in the evenings.” 

“You gonna come up too?” Leo asked. 

“No. I’m gonna take a night off from any work. I need a break, guys. Have fun.” Randall said. His voice sounded tired. 

“Well, take care, Randall. Come on, guys. Let him be.” Leo said. 

They went up and knocked on the door, before sliding it open. April was dusting and she wondered who would be knocking. Then the turtles stepped into the shop. 

“Guys? This is a surprise.” April stated. She went and hugged them. “I’ve missed you. Where’s Randall?” 

“He wanted to be left alone.” Raph said. They went upstairs to her apartment. Don sat on the couch with her. Mikey sat in the chair. Leo and Raph stood around. 

“Randall’s been working hard lately, both here and at the lair.” April replied. 

“Yes, he has. He’s been helping me a lot.” Don stated. 

“I know. He says the new security system is coming along good.” she said. 

“Yes. And something else.” Mikey said. 

“It’s a surprise.” Don said. Then he scratched at the bandages on his leg in annoyance. 

“What happened to your leg, Donny?” April asked in concern.

“Kind of a bug bite.” 

“A REALLY, big bug.” Raph added. 

Then there was a knock on the door. Randall knew they were here, so it couldn’t be him. The guys all ran to hide just in case. 

“Uh, guys, you better…” April tried to tell them, but they knew the drill. “Hide.” Then she got up to answer the door. 

Standing there was another woman with brownish hair and freckles. She had on a blue shirt and brown dress. She had some suit cases by her side. “Robyn!” April said, surprised. 

“Hey, sis. How are you?” Robyn declared with a smile. 

“Come in.” April invited her sister inside. She carried her cases in and set them down before the two sisters hugged. “What are you doing here?” 

“I hope you don’t mind me dropping in like this, but I just got in from the west coast and thought I’d surprise you.” Robyn replied. 

The turtles were curious and annoyed that their visit had been interrupted. But they knew they couldn’t stay if April was going to have a visitor that didn’t know about them. 

“Robyn, you’re my sister. You’re welcome anytime.” April said, then they separated from their hug. 

“I thought I heard voices. Is… there someone else here?” she asked. 

“No. Nobody.” April said a little fearfully. Then she pushed Robyn to the bedroom. “Here, put your stuff in my bedroom. I’ll make some coffee.” 

The guys knew and took the cue to go down the spiral staircase. Don was the last to go. He waved at her before he left. She smiled. He was sweet. 

On the way out in the basement, the guys warned Randall that he should stay down in the basement, that April now had some company; her sister. Randall said he was going to go to bed shortly anyway. The guys left him on their way out. 

April made some coffee for her and Robyn. April began, “The last few months have been tough. My friends used to be around all the time. Now, I barely get to see them.” April had told her sister she had some close friends, but she didn’t tell her anything else about them. 

“What about your boyfriend? That Casey, guy? How’s he?” Robyn asked. 

“Casey’s great. Crazy as ever.” April replied. 

Robyn then checked her watch. “Sis, can I check my email? I’m supposed to hear back about a job.” she asked. 

“Sure, go right ahead.” April said. 

Robyn went and got on the computer, but when she went to use it, a blue screen popped up and green letters in another language popped up. Robyn was shocked. “Is, there something wrong with your computer?” she asked her sister. 

April came over and saw it too. “No. There wasn’t the last time I used it.”

“Maybe it’s got a virus.” Robyn advised. 

“There shouldn’t be. Not with all the virus protection and firewalls I have installed in there.” April explained. 

They continued to stare at it. 

“Robyn, I know someone who can take a look at it. Can you help me get it downstairs?” April asked. 

“Sure.” They got the computer and keyboard down to the shop. April intended to call Don. Then Robyn went back upstairs. 

April called Don. 

Don was in the lab, working on some schematics. He had a light on that let him see what he was doing. Then his phone started ringing. “Huh?” he questioned who was calling. He opened it up and it was April. 

“Hey, April. What’s up?” Don asked. 

“Don, can you come over later tonight? I need your opinion on something.” April stated. 

“Sure.” Don replied. 

Later on, Don told Leo he was going to April’s and she needed his help. He would avoid her sister. Leo gave the okay. 

When he got to the shop, he left Randall alone on the way upstairs. He knew he was asleep. April met him in the shop. 

“So, what’s the problem?” he asked. 

April had her computer down there for him to see. She showed him. “My computer’s been doing that all day. But it’s not like any virus I ever seen before.” she explained. 

Don examined the symbols. “There’s something familiar about those symbols. Let me see what happens when I run it through a translation decompiler.” He typed away. Then it began to translate. 

It turned out to be a message from April’s long lost uncle. “Uncle Augie?!” April gasped. 

“Could be. Sounds like he’s in trouble.” Don said. 

April then opened up a box where she had put the artifact that had belonged to her uncle. “Here’s Uncle Augie’s artifact. I haven’t touched it since it sent us all to that wasp world.” she said. 

The artifact then glowed. 

“Look at that.” Don pointed. “Looks like the message came through the dimensional portal, and infected your computer. The main message is incomplete, but I recognize these symbols as dimensional coordinates. I scanned your uncle’s journal into my tech tab. The logger rhythms are identical.” he stated. 

“Then I’m using those coordinates to go after Uncle Augie.” April declared. She went to go grab her bag. 

“April, there is no way I’m letting you go alone on something like this. I’m with you.” Don said bravely. 

“Thanks, Donny. Setting coordinates, and Uncle Augie, here we come.” April said and she turned to set the coordinates. Then it flashed and pulled them both into its grasp, sending them to another dimension as it fell to the floor.   
…………….

In another world, Donatello and April were dropped onto cement. “Are you okay?” April asked. 

“I think I left my stomach back at your shop.” Don replied. He stood up along with her. 

“What is this place?” April asked fearfully. 

Don took out his bo at the ready as he saw some creatures coming toward them. “I don’t know, but here comes the welcoming committee, and they don’t look very welcoming.” he said in a fearful voice too. 

There were a bunch of lizard men coming toward them, wearing blue uniforms, and held shields and staffs. Most were green, but an orange one stepped out from behind, indicating he might be the leader. They all had yellow eyes with slits for pupils. 

“Uh, we come in peace.” Don declared as calmly as he could manage. 

The orange lizard replied, “Ah, good. Welcome, strangers. Have you come to aid the magician?” he asked. 

Don and April glanced at each other. He smiled at her. This could be her uncle. “Uh, yes. The magician. Right.” Don said. 

“Good. We must bring you to the magician immediately.” The leader said. 

Don and April were guided through the city to where this magician was. Don noticed it was a bit different than Earth’s cities. “This place is amazing, April. Some kind of super advanced civilization.” 

They were led to a building that looked like a Great Hall. They were soon led into a room with a giant version of the artifact. The orange lizard was the leader, and he was called the Counselor. 

The Counselor announced to the man in the room, “Magician, you have visitors.” 

April and Don couldn’t believe who they were seeing. The man turned, and he too was in shock at first at who he was seeing. “April? It can’t be! But it is April!” Uncle Augie exclaimed happily and went to hug his niece. 

“Uncle Augie!” April said. She and Don smiled at the knowledge that they had finally found her uncle. The redheaded man hugged April. “You’re alright?” 

“Better than ever, sweetie.” he replied. 

Then April turned to Don, “Uncle Augie, I want you to meet my friend, Donatello.” 

Don and Augie shook hands. “Donatello. I take it you’re from another world in another dimension?” he asked the turtle, since he wasn’t used to seeing a humanoid looking turtle. 

“New York City, actually.” Don replied. 

“Magnificent! I should be surprised, actually.” He took off his hat and rubbed his head. “But I’m more surprised to see my niece here. How did you get here? Why?” the man asked. 

“We got your message.” April said. 

“My message?” Augie asked, not knowing what she meant. 

“Your message. Your distress signal.” Don clarified. 

“Your call for help.” April added. Augie put his hat back on. 

“But things are perfectly fine here. I sent no call for help.” Augie said. 

Don took out his tech tab to show him. He took it and saw it. “Oh dear, the message. It was more of an announcement really. I was testing the transmitting systems. It still needs work as it didn’t go through as I had intended it to.” Augie admitted. “No. I don’t need help. The people of this magnificent city want to help us.” He walked over to the window. 

“They call themselves the Brotherhood. They want to bring all their amazing technology and medical advancements to Earth. It will change the world.” Augie spoke proudly. 

“It is our custom. My people wish to spread peace and love, and understanding throughout the multiverse.” The Counselor spoke up, “But now, we will take our leave and we will allow you to finish repairing the transport.” He and his soldiers backed up to clear the room, “The sooner it is fixed, the sooner we can help the people of Earth.” The lizards left finally. 

Augie went on to explain, “Their transport artifact was broken when I arrived here. I managed to repair it, but I didn’t have the coordinates to get home. But your arrival has left a dimensional wake, pinpointing Earth! Once I get it finished, the sooner we can bring Brotherhood advancements to Earth. It‘ll be glorious! A new era of peace, love, and understanding.” 

Don and April were a little concerned, but could understand his excitement for wanting to bring it all to their planet. April went up to him, “Uncle Augie, it sounds wonderful.” she said. 

“It sure does.” Don said. “Do you think I could take a stroll around the city? I’d love to get a look at their advanced technology before we leave.” 

“Sure. The Brotherhood won’t mind.” Augie said. 

“Just don’t get in any trouble, Don.” April warned. 

“What, me? I’m the sensible turtle, remember?” Don remarked. 

As Don walked around the city, he was amazed. “Uncle Augie’s right. This place is incredible. A little quiet though.” he admitted, making him a little uncomfortable about it. Then he heard a door open and a voice. He hid. 

“It is all I can do to not bite their heads off!” 

“Do not worry. The Counselor’s plan is almost born fruit. Soon, we will all feed.”

“And where is the Grand Counselor now?” 

These were two lizard soldiers. Don was suspicious of their words and went to go find out what they meant. Were these lizards as friendly as they really claimed to be? 

“He is in the Throne Room, making the final preparations.” 

Don followed the two to the throne room. He got up high to listen to their conversation. 

The Counselor was eating some last remnants of meat off a bone as one of his soldiers paced in front of him, explaining, “Counselor, our food supplies are nearly exhausted. Soon, we will have nothing left to eat.” 

The Counselor finished gnawing on the bone, then replied, “Worry not. The old fool has nearly finished repairing the transport. Once it is operational, we can resume conquering new worlds. We will feed long and well. Starting with his precious Earth!” the lizard exclaimed happily. 

Donny gasped. These lizards had fooled them all! Don had to hurry back and warn April and Augie of their impending doom. 

Luckily, on his way back to his friends, he wasn’t spotted. He got back to them safely. They were going over some notes on the table when he came in, saying, “Uh, remember how I promised to stay out of trouble? Well, we’re in trouble. Big trouble! The Brotherhood is just using Uncle Augie so they get to Earth and, eat everyone!” Don exclaimed. 

The two humans were shocked, but April believed him. She knew he wasn’t known for making up jokes about something like that. 

“What? But that’s preposterous.” Augie stated. “The Brotherhood wants to serve humanity.” Augie just didn’t know Donatello that well yet. 

“Right. Medium rare, like in that Twilight Zone episode.” Don said. 

“Uncle Augie, if Don says something’s going on, then something’s going on. I’d stake my life on it.” April agreed with Don. 

“Yes, you will.” The three of them gasped as the Counselor proclaimed. “The time for niceties is at an end! Seize them!” he ordered. Two lizard soldiers charged. 

Don took off his bo and dropped his duffel bag. He went to fight them. “April, get your uncle out of here!” 

“Run, Uncle Augie!” April urged. “But?” he questioned her. He thought he knew these lizards well enough by now. “RUN!” April pushed him hard. She then smashed the chair into the head of one of the soldiers that was after her. 

“Excuse me, pardon me.” Don said as he claimed his duffel bag and ran after them, knocking two more lizards aside. He was glad Randall wasn’t with them. Who knows what he would think about them fighting lizards. 

“Where are we going?” April asked. 

“Follow me.” Augie said. Don brought up the rear. 

They got to a transport vehicle room. “Everyone, into that shuttle.” Augie ordered. They climbed in and Augie got it going just as the lizards got in. The shuttle pulled out and zoomed across the city. 

Soon, they came to a different part of the city and stopped there and got out. “I still don’t understand any of this.” Augie said. 

“The Brotherhood was using you, Uncle Augie.” April pointed out. 

“I can’t believe that. What are these?” he asked. 

Don went to examine some round objects on the floor. “Huh? Magnetic.” He picked one up, then threw it back down. 

“Uncle Augie, what is this place?” April asked. 

“The Brotherhood call this place the Forbidden Zone. No one is allowed here.” Augie explained. “They told me it was strictly off limits.” 

Don looked to his right. “And I think I know why. I don’t think they wanted you to see this. Look!” he pointed to some bones that were over a short distance away from where they were at, in a mass grave. They looked similar to human bones, but not quite. 

They all gasped. “This can’t be!” Augie still didn’t want to believe it. “They said they wanted to help us.” He backed away from the site, then backed into a button on a platform. A screen lit up. 

Don and April came over to check it out as well. “Wait. I’ve seen these holographic stations all over town. Maybe it can shed some light on what happened here.” Don suggested. He took out his tech tab and a wire. He hooked it up to the station. “I’ll see if I can access the archives.” 

It brought up a human-like alien called a Zodac. Don skimmed through all their articles of history real fast to get to the last one. There, it showed the lizards attacking the Zodac people and why they had used some magnetic charges to stop their transport from being able to transport. 

“So much for peace, love, and understanding.” Don said. 

“I so wanted it to be true.” Augie walked away. Then he turned around and said angrily, “We must make sure the Brotherhood never reaches Earth! No matter what!” 

Then there were some roars. The lizards had caught up with them! They almost didn’t see a way out, until they backed onto the road. Don looked down and saw a way out. 

Don grabbed April and jumped. “Come on! Follow me!” April screamed on the way down, but Don landed safely. 

Augie was shocked. He didn’t know if he could do that. 

“Uncle Augie, jump!” April called up, but it was too late. He was grabbed and taken hostage. 

April tried to help him, but Don stopped her. “No, April. They won’t hurt him. They need him. You and I will be more useful to him if we’re alive.” he explained. 

Augie was tied up hand and foot to some sticks and carried back to the Great Hall to work on the transport. The Counselor awaited them. “Good. Put him back to work. Soon, we will be feeding on the people of Earth! Ha, ha, ha!” The lizard licked his lips hungrily. 

Don and April were trying to get back to the Great Hall. They noticed that the lizards were getting ready. 

“They’re massing their forces. Donny, what are we going to do?” April asked the turtle. 

“Don’t worry. I have an idea.” Don replied. They both ran for it. It was starting to get dark out. 

They got back to the Great Hall, where Uncle Augie was. He was back working again. 

“Uncle Augie, you alright?” April asked. 

“April! Thank heavens you’re safe!” He jumped off the ladder and they hugged. 

April separated from him, “We have to work quickly.” 

“I programmed the magnetic charges to my tech tab, and destroy the transport artifact. We’ll finish the job the Zodacs started.” Don exclaimed. 

“I’m afraid that won’t work. I fixed the transport, making it immune to magnetic overloads.” Augie said. 

Then, April had another idea, “Maybe we don’t have to destroy this artifact.” She walked over and began setting a different set of coordinates. 

“April, what are you-?” Don questioned. 

When it was set, the transport got them in its beam, and got them out of there. It proved it worked. 

The lizards then ran in, looking for the intruders. The Counselor came in too, “As I feared, they’ve gone, using the transport. Assemble all the Brotherhood! We have new prey to hunt, and a new planet to conquer!” 

In a temple in another dimension, Don, April, and Augie were dropped to the ground. They got up. 

“There it is, just as we left it!” April remarked. 

“April, tell me this isn’t where I think it is.” Don said. 

April got to the artifact. “This artifact isn’t shielded. Don, set the Zodac magnetic charges!” 

Don ran up and set three charges on the artifact. He set the coordinates on his tech tab to get them out of there before they would go off, and once again, they were transported out. Once they were gone, the charges went off. 

Don had set the coordinates to take them back to April’s shop. The three of them landed on the floor. 

Randall sat up in bed in the basement, when he heard a loud thump on the floor above him. What was going on up there? It could mean someone had broken in. 

Upstairs, they sat up. “Okay, April. What happened?” Don asked. 

“Oh, we’re just setting up a little surprise party. When the Counselor and the Brotherhood use their transport artifact thinking it leads straight to Earth…” April explained. 

Don finished for her “…They’re going to follow us to that other world.” 

The lizards arrived in the wasp world. “Spread out! Find them!” The Counselor ordered. 

“And once they’ve realized they’ve made a terrible mistake…” April said. 

“There will be no working transport artifact for them to escape through!” Augie seconded her. 

The lizards looked around and realized their mistake. Giant bugs hatched out of pupas and looked ready to attack them. 

The Counselor ran in fear to the other room. He saw the artifact was damaged. “No. The transport.” Then he heard a scary sound. 

The queen wasp came down from her rookery and stalked him. He was out of luck. 

In the shop, Augie praised April, “My little April, you’re an O’Neil alright, through and through!” He stood up. “And I’m finally home again, after all these years!” he said happily. 

He and April embraced. Don smiled. He was happy for her that she now had her uncle back. He would be telling his brothers about this when he got home. 

Then there was a sound coming from the basement. The door was opening. 

“Don, you might want to relay Randall.” April suggested. She wasn’t sure letting Augie see Randall at the moment was a good idea, but she had a better idea. 

“On it.” Don said. 

April led her uncle to the back steps. “Who’s Randall?” Augie asked. “I’ll tell you later.” April said. 

Don opened the door and stepped in the way, “Randall, what are you doing up?” 

“I heard a thud up here. What’s going on?” Randall demanded tiredly. 

“Oh, nothing. April and I just rescued her uncle from another dimension.” Don explained simply. He started to lead the lizard monster back down the stairs. 

“Uh huh, sure.” Randall scoffed. 

“Yes, we did. Have I ever made up a story to you?” Don asked. 

“No.” 

“April has an artifact that is not to be messed with. You don’t want to end up in another world you’re not familiar with that you can’t escape from should there be trouble.” Don explained. 

“I know the feeling.” Randall replied. He yawned. 

Don helped him back to bed. He hoped telling him this would seem all like a bad dream. He helped him back to his room so he could go back to bed. He tucked Randall back in his bed. The lizard was asleep before he hit the pillow. 

On the second floor, April burst into the living room with Augie right behind her. Robyn was sitting on the couch, watching TV. “Robyn! You’re not going to believe who I found!” April declared happily. 

“Easy there.” Augie said. 

Robyn got up and ran to embrace him. “Oh, Uncle Augie! But how?” she asked. 

“It’s a long story. With lots of peace, love, and understanding.” Augie said. “It’s so good to see you again.” 

In the basement, Don smiled. He was glad to be able to help April out and give her a member of her family back. He had also helped to keep Randall distracted. He went home happy. 

It was only later on when Augie and April were alone down in the shop again that she told her uncle about the purple lizard that was living in her basement. 

Augie was a little in shock to hear that, after what they had gone through with other lizards just a bit ago. He had trusted some and had been used. 

“How do you know he’s not using you too, April?” Augie asked. 

“Because we’ve been through so much. Randall’s actually helped me and Don’s family. He’s helped us when someone’s been hurt or missing. Especially one of Don’s brothers. He’s protected my shop from robbers before. I can assure you, you can trust him. He’s overcome a lot since we met him over a year ago.” April explained. “He’s in bed right now. He’s been working hard down in the turtles’ new home since their other home was destroyed by an enemy.” 

“Okay, if you trust him, April.” Augie accepted her word. “Maybe I can meet him sometime.” 

“Randall can have a temper, and he can be standoffish at first, but he can be nice. He even offered me comfort in my time of need when I thought the turtles were gone.” April said. 

Augie trusted his niece and just wanted the best for her.   
……………….. 

After being gone for so long, if there was one thing he needed, it was a shower and a change of clothes. Robyn went out and got him some new clothes. 

April had told Augie to not mention Don to her sister or other family members. He had promised. He wouldn’t mention Randall either.   
…………….

Later on, Augie did feel like he wanted to meet this Randall to just make sure that April was choosing to live with him wisely. 

April led him downstairs. Robyn was asleep at the moment so it was a good time to do so. But then, Randall could be over at the turtles’ lair too. Only one way to find out. 

“Wait here until I tell you to come in, Uncle Augie. He can be rather protective of his home and who sees him.” April said. 

“Yes, April.” 

April went and knocked on Randall’s door. There was what sounded like the TV was on in the room. The door opened. Randall stood there. “Yes?” 

“Randall, Don might have told you earlier that him and I were on a little dimensional adventure.” 

“Yes, he did. You found your uncle.” Randall replied. 

“Well, Uncle Augie is a very respectable and understanding man. He wants to meet you, if it’s okay with you?” April explained. 

“Why?” 

“To just see who you are.” April said. 

“Alright. I was just making myself some breakfast.” Randall said and turned back. 

“Come on, Uncle Augie. He says it’s okay.” April said. Her uncle walked forward. She had taken the body language from Randall it was fine to come in. 

Augie smiled and walked forward. The two humans went into Randall’s room, where he had opened up the microwave and shut it again, to keep it quiet as he met this new guest. 

A middle aged man followed April into the room. His hair was more orange colored than April’s, but he looked related. 

“Hi, you must be Randall?” Augie said. He could see this lizard looked quite a bit different than the lizards he had been living with for so long. No clothes on, and he had double the limbs. Plus the coloring and his eyes were different too. 

“Yes.” Randall replied. 

Augie came over to him and held out his hand. Randall was a little shy of a new adult human knowing about him, but he knew what he wanted. He hesitantly took the man’s hand with his upper right hand. 

“So, were you from another dimension too? I’ve never seen any lizard like you before.” Augie asked. 

“Well,” Randall looked at April. She nodded. “I am from a different world, yes. But with some mishaps that occurred there, I am forevered banished from it. Living with your niece and her friends has given my life a meaning and a purpose. If it wasn’t for them, I would probably be dead by now.” Randall explained. He knew what not to reveal on the first meeting. 

Augie could see this lizard was a far cry from the ones he had just gotten away from. “But what was your occupation? What interests do you have?” he asked the lizard. 

April shook her head at him. “I do have interests in engineering, some math and science. I’ve even learned about some medical care as needed. And ninja training from Donatello’s family for self defense. As for what my occupation was, let’s say that I was good at what I did. It’s not for me to reveal it. It’s personal.” 

“I understand.” Augie replied. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Randall. Maybe we can talk some more some other time?” 

“Sure.” Randall replied. 

“We’ll let you enjoy your breakfast, Randall. Thanks for meeting him.” April declared. 

“No problem.” 

Randall wasn’t interested in following them. He let them go so he could get his eggs out of the microwave. 

“So, what did you think of him?” April asked her uncle. 

“He seems rather nice. A little hesitant maybe.” Augie replied. 

“He’s been through a lot in the past months. Don’s whole family was. Randall’s like a brother to them. Don’s family have recently lost a home to an enemy, and before that, Don’s oldest brother, Leo, was going through a hard time after a traumatizing event. It was hard on all of us to see him go through it. But things are getting better for them with the new home they’ve found. Randall just also comes from a place that is just wary of humans.” April explained. “His other world.” 

“I understand, April. No need to tell me anything more. But I hope we can get to know each other better. I think he seems trustworthy.” Augie said. “He had a sincere look to his eyes.” 

“He has worked on it from when he first got here. He had to learn a lot to become what he is now.” April explained. “And now, I don’t think me or the guys want to part with him, for all he’s done for us.” 

“He sounds like a good friend.” 

“He is.” April declared.   
…………….

Back at the lair, Donatello explained to his family where had been and that after all they had heard about April’s uncle, he was now finally back. 

Leo was a little nervous hearing about that her uncle had seen Don, but Don assured him that Uncle Augie was trustworthy. After all, he had been living with alien lizards for quite awhile. Leo calmed down. 

“I’m sure we will want to meet him some day.” Master Splinter said. 

Leo would still be the most wary turtle until he knew humans could be fully trusted.


	36. Insane in the Membrane

Days later, Robyn had left and so had Augie. They had gone to see the rest of April’s family.

In the lair, Don had started to show signs of catching a cold. His head felt alright, it was just a stuffy nose. At least, at first, and then there were some bouts of nausea too. Don took some medicines to try to relieve the symptoms.

When Randall came down to help him work on the new truck some more, he noticed that Don wasn’t feeling too well. He would help him out the best he could. The family depended on Don to keep them safe with his doctoring skills and mechanical skills.

Mikey was beginning to feel like Randall was spending so much time with Don that he almost didn’t matter anymore to him. But when Don started getting sick, there was concern right there. But he still had to ask Randall eventually.

Randall was sworn to secrecy about the new truck on its way to being made. He knew that Mikey was curious about what was being made in the lab. He would snap at the youngest turtle to not go snooping around in the lab right now. It wasn’t his business.

“Randall, how come you never spend time with me anymore?” Mikey asked sadly.

“Don needs my help with the surprise coming up real soon, and with the new weapons you guys are gonna use against those freak creatures out there. And because Don is getting sick. He needs the extra help, Mike. I’m sorry. We can hang out later.” Randall explained.

Mikey always hated the ‘later’ answer. It usually meant they would forget and not hang out.

As much as Randall had to decline Mikey’s offers to hang out like before, it was just that with getting the new lair up and running to be safe enough, there was just so much to do around this much bigger lair. He wished Mikey had more of a real balance of when to work and when to act like a child. He acted like a child too much and demanded so much from his family as if he was a child still.  
……………

With Don and Randall having worked on the new armor and weapons for their battle against the alien mutation animals, they were up and ready a lot sooner than if Don had worked on them alone. Tonight, was the premiere using of the weapons.

Raph picked a weapon that was like an extension of himself. A grasper of sorts. He also had electrified cuffs.

Leo had a shot firing one, called the Snare Shooter. It could fire nets and darts, depending on what it was loaded with.

Don also had a snare that he called the Capture Snare. It could grasp things with it and it could electrify a victim. He also wore a pack on his back that could freeze smaller specimens. He also had a tracker on his right wrist, and a spotter transmitter that he would wear over his right eye; it was like a magnifying glass.

Mikey had his own range of weapons too, including nets and tranquilizers.

Leatherhead had helped design the tranquilizers, along with Don and Randall.

Randall had been happy to help design these new weapons and armor, but he didn’t know how much of a help he would really be against these freaky creatures. He wanted to just be more of a backup and upgrade helper this time. This was just one fight he was preferring to stay out of.

If there was one rule about battling any of the creatures they would encounter, now that they knew more about them, what had caused it to happen, was that they just couldn’t be splattering the ooze from inside the creatures. That was how it spread.

Ever since the night of when they first encountered the roaches and the one that had slashed Don’s leg, they hadn’t seen any sign of the man roach.

While the turtles went out ‘monster hunting,’ Randall stayed behind to work on the new truck. It was almost done enough that it would be making its debut maybe in a few weeks, so it had to be ready.

The guys were ready to give these weapons a try. The first creatures they came across tonight were apparently mutant toads, but as toads lost their tails after they were done developing from tadpoles, somehow, these mutant toads had long tails again. They were still able to jump long distances and use their long tongues. It was in one of the train subway areas.

Raph wanted so much to use his sais on these suckers so bad. He was backing up from the one that had chosen to try to eat him. “Okay, Ugly. Down, boy.” Raph said, keeping the toad at a distance. “That’s it, that’s a good mutant toad.” He kept his Clasper in front of him, but the toad then whacked him in the face with its tail, knocking him back onto his shell.

Raph growled just as the toad tried to leap onto him. He got the mutant toad into the Clasper. “I said, Stay!” The toad tried to impale him with its tongue. “You know, this would be a whole lot easier if I could just use my sais on these slime balls.” he proclaimed.

Mikey’s toad kept on wanting to chase him.

Leo used his Snare Shooter to fire stun shots at the toads and then he tranked them. Don then grasped one of the toads from getting at Leo, he gave a shout out to Raph, “Sorry, Raph! You know how toxic these outbreak bugs are!” He slammed the toads unconscious and tranked them.

“Yeah, I know. Trap ‘em and trank ‘em!” Raph answered. He slammed his toad and tranked him too, but behind him, Mikey was still having trouble getting a hold on his toad.

“Well, somebody grab the tranq!” Mikey cried out.

Don tried to stop the toad from still continuing to chase Mikey. “I got him!” The toad then pulled him right behind him though. Don screamed in terror that he wasn’t able to stop this thing.

“Uh, Donny, I think he’s got you.” Raph remarked.

“Hold on, Don. Mikey’s coming!” Mikey was willing to help his brother, but then, he spotted a train coming. He tried running for one of the walls, but the same toad that had been after him got in his way. He jumped the other way toward the walls and the toad went after him. Don was still being dragged behind him.

Don screamed as he saw the train coming and he couldn’t stop this toad. But Leo was in just the right place. He sliced the rope with his katana and quickly pulled Don up while covering their ears, as the train’s wheels on the rails were loud up close.

The train passed real fast, then Don turned to Leo, “Good timing, Leo. Thanks.” he said with a smile. Leo then helped him to his feet.

“I think that’s enough monster hunting for one day.” Leo declared. “Let’s go.”

All the turtles jumped out of that station before the next train came along.  
……………

Out west, in Bishop’s lab, Stockman had finished making his new body, though Bishop didn’t know that yet.

Stockman had wanted to have a body for so long ever since the Shredder and Hun had taken his original from him. If everyone else had one, why couldn’t he? And with Bishop proving it could be done to get a new one, he wasn’t willing to wait.

Bishop was still demanding of him to concentrate on the plague at hand instead of the new body issue. He might have unleashed the outbreak, but at least he was willing to want to put it right. But he needed his associates to be thinking the same as him on it, which Stockman wasn’t at the moment.

When Stockman finally showed Bishop that his new cloned body was ready, he got himself ready and transferred his consciousness into the new body. While he was still out, he had a flashback to his past, of when he experimented with a bug and pots and pans, and his mother coming home to him.

His mother had always been proud of him for being a science prodigy. She had even bought him his first chemistry set. But she also often had to work so hard for the two of them to live in the house they lived in and to have food on the table. He had always loved her too, because she had supported his love of science.

Soon, Stockman came out of it and woke up. When he was out of the chamber, he saw he had what looked like his old body! But there were definitely modifications to this one compared to his original human body. It was also twice as strong.

Bishop was still concerned that he had rushed things, not thinking it all through, but Stockman assured him it was all fine.

Stockman was glad to have a new body again and just wanted to do things that any normal human could do, including feeling a breeze outside, or eating a big meal.

While sleeping, he had another dream, but about his mom visiting him in the lab. She told him she was proud of him, but also told him to patch up his finger, as it was looking wounded.

He woke up and saw his mom’s spirit had been right. The skin was peeling apart!

Over the next few weeks, Stockman did tests on his finger, his whole left arm even, and eventually pounded it back on. The new body didn’t feel pain quite as much. He had tried to study his arm and couldn’t find much wrong with it, but the process had just been too rushed.

Stockman’s new body, in the end, made him look like a composed corpse. Then, he began to think on who was really responsible for his misery.

He knew the turtles had been partly to blame, as they were the ones that destroyed his plans for the Shredder, and more times than one at that, and that had brought the Shredder’s wrath down on him multiple times. But, before the turtles, there was the one who had first brought the turtles into his life in the first place. It was his former assistant, April!

“She is the one and she will pay!” Stockman yelled angrily.

Stockman boarded one of Bishop’s helicopters and he took off for New York. He knew where April lived too.  
……………..

Once he got to New York, he landed the chopper close to where Stock Tronics used to be, where he and April had first worked together. He went to April’s house from there. He broke through the door in the back downstairs, then he went upstairs to her back door.

Randall was currently at the turtles’ lair while April and Casey were having a lovely evening just relaxing on the couch, watching TV.

Someone started pounding on the door, rather furiously. It was a constant knock.

Casey and April were surprised they had company. “I’ll get it.” Casey said. He got up and went to the door. “Geez, I’m comin’, I’m comin.’” Who had to be so rude to be pounding like that?

Then, the door was smashed in and Casey was thrown onto his back. “Casey!” April cried out and rushed to his side. They both looked up and in stepped a cyborg Baxter Stockman!

Stockman had a gun in one hand. “Hello, Ms. O’Neil. We have some catching up to do.” he greeted. Her eyes were wide with fear. “Back where this all started.” Then he shot her with a tranquilizer dart in the left shoulder.

She pulled it out, but it took effect right away. “April!” Casey said in a worried tone.

Then he charged at Stockman, ready to punch him.

Stockman grabbed his fist and took hold of his arm and slammed Casey into the wall, knocking him out. Then he went over to April and picked her up. “Come, April, dear. You have an appointment regarding retribution!” He laughed as he slung her over his shoulder and carried her out of the apartment.  
…………….

Down in the lair, Don had summoned his brothers to the lab. This had been one thing being designed and seen only by his and Randall’s eyes for a long time. It was now ready!

“So, what’s the big surprise already?” Raph asked.

“Finally, after months of work, I give you, the new Battle Shell!” Don announced. Randall pulled the sheet off the truck.

At first glance, it looked more like a moving truck. It even read ‘Tortuga Bros Moving, Since 1984.’ The other three turtles weren’t exactly impressed with it right off.

“Where? Inside the moving van?” Mikey demanded.

“No. It is the moving van.” Don replied. He was proud of this truck.

Mikey almost couldn’t understand how Randall had gotten to be a part of building this thing, and had gone along with it.

“Uh, I know you’ve been under the weather lately, bro, but come on.” Raph stated.

“Perhaps a small demonstration.” Don said. He pressed a button on a remote in his hand.

A panel on the side lifted. “Multi-function side panels.” Don said, it had rockets on it.

Up above, the top lid rose out, revealing some cannons. “Ion charged laser cannons.” Randall smiled. And up on the very top, another weapon rose up, “Concussion blasters.”

And a satellite came up on the back of the top. “And a tracking system that’s connected to our mainframe, security systems, and shell cell!” Don exclaimed proudly. Then there was a ringing. “Which, as you can hear, works perfectly.”

Don did the honors of answering the phone, “Hello?”

It was Casey on the line, “Guys, it’s Stockman! He’s back, and he’s taken April!”

The others all heard that too. “Hang tight, Casey. We’re on our way!” Leo replied. They all then filed into the truck. Don drove it. Randall was up front while Leo, Mike, and Raph rode in the back and they picked up Casey.

Casey had his mask and golf bag ready when he climbed in. He was holding his left arm in pain. “So what happened, Casey?” Raph asked.

“He just busted in, knocked me out, and when I woke up, they were gone. All I remember is he said something about them going back to where this all started.” Casey reflected.

There was a hole in between the back and front of the truck. Don and Randall heard him too. Randall didn’t understand that part, but he was sure the turtles did. “Where it all started?” he asked.

“Stock Tronics.” Leo replied. “The lab where he and April first worked together. It has to be.”

Now Randall understood, even though he had never been there before, but he would now if it meant saving April.

“I’m on it!” Don said and floored the gas to get there.  
……………

Stockman had gotten April to Stock Tronics. He pried open some doors that no longer worked on their own because no one was operating them. The whole place was real run down as it was no longer in business.

“Now, Ms. O’Neil. Time to pay for what you’ve done. You ruined my life! You ruined my work for the Shredder! You brought those turtles into my life! Because of you, I have been torn apart! Well, Ms. O’Neil, now it’s your turn to go to pieces!” Stockman carried April into the room and he hotwired the electricity to come on. She was still unconscious.

When the light came on in the room, Stockman had another flashback, one of when his mother was lying in bed, dying. He laid April on the floor and went over.

Several moments later, April began to wake up. What she saw in front of her looked bizarre. This new Stockman cyborg was holding a big wire in his hands and crying while leaning on a flatbed dash. “Mama!” he said sadly.

Stockman had been told all his life by his mom, “The sky’s the limit for you, Baxter.” It had been a real tragedy when his mom had died on him while he was so young. She had been his main supporter.

Then, Stockman turned back to April, seeing her there on the floor. He stood up. “Ah, good you’re here early today, Ms. O’Neil. We have a lot of work to do.” He was in another flashback memory of when he was first introducing the Mousers and their connections. He also saw April as his former assistant rather than his prisoner.

The new Battle Shell pulled up outside and they went in another way. The guys all knew they had to get up there in a hurry, before Stockman did something horrible to April. They made it to some automatic doors.

“Let her go, Stockman!” Leo demanded.

“April?” Baxter looked once, then blinked again, seeing one April as his assistant, to the one of right now, that was his prisoner, with Casey, the turtles, and Randall standing around her.

To all of them, this Stockman was real beyond creepy looking. He looked like a rotted corpse.

“You betrayed me!” Stockman exclaimed. He started advancing on them.

“Get out of here, April!” Don shouted. She went to run while the guys were going to deal with Stockman.

“No! She can’t leave! I forbid it!” Stockman shouted.

April ran out the doors the guys had come in. The guys all had weapons ready.

“You asked for it, Dr. Stockman-stein!” Mikey yelled at the cyborg. He kept advancing at them.

The guys all charged at him, but he tore a hole in the floor, tearing it apart, sending them all into the walls, knocking the wind out of them.

“Stay out of my way! She ruined my life! Now she must pay!” Stockman roared and threw a piece of machinery through a window. “April. April!” he called for her.

April had run a little distance away and was close to the pier. She could hear him calling for her, then she saw the transporter on the rope. It would take her across the river. She ran for it.

The guys all recovered enough and got up and tried to follow that maniac. They got out of the building. “Which way did they go?” Casey demanded. There was also a copter sitting right next to the building.

Randall knew he could track them.

“We should split up.” Mikey suggested.

“No. Better yet, search from above.” Don suggested. They all got into the copter. Don drove it too.

“Can you get her scent, Randall?” Leo asked.

“Of course.” Randall replied and he did just that by tasting the air. He pointed which way and Don followed his directions.

Meanwhile, April was alone on the transporter, and thought she was safe. She let out a sigh of relief, hoping Stockman wouldn’t find her there. But then, there was a shaking. She looked out the back and saw her worst nightmare. “No!” she cried out.

Stockman was using the bars as like monkey bars, moving along to where she was. The transporter was shaken and April fell over. The cyborg man tore a hole in the ceiling. “Going somewhere, Ms. O’Neil?!” he asked evilly.

Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? He was a lunatic! She screamed in terror.

Stockman made a bigger hole.

Don flew the copter low so Randall could keep tracking. Randall pointed to the transporter in the air. “There, that’s where she is!”

“On the guandula!” Mikey added.

Don flew the copter upwards.

Stockman jumped down into the cockpit with April. She took a defensive stance.

“Stay away from me, Dr. Stockman!” she ordered and gave a back kick at his jaw, knocking it off, but left it hanging by some flesh.

Stockman reconnected his jaw. “You’ve been a really naughty girl.” Then a light shown down on him. He looked up.

The copter’s side panel opened up. Casey had a rope attached to him, “I’m coming, April! Goongala!” He jumped down and right onto Stockman.

Casey began to tie the rope to Stockman. Stockman threw him off to the other side. Casey held the rope steady. It now let Raph, Mikey, Leo and Randall go down. Randall held on to Leo’s shell as he rode him down. He trusted him now.

The three turtles got down into the cockpit. Randall jumped off on top, ready to pull April up.

“You alright, April?” Leo asked.

“I am now.” she declared happily. The three turtles then gave her a hand up. Randall took her hands and pulled while they pushed her up. She did jump out as well to make it easier on Randall too.

“Go, April! Climb!” Mikey shouted.

Stockman wasn’t going to allow the woman to escape. He struggled and broke the rope on him. The rope was now hanging from the copter. He beat the turtles aside, and Casey. He got out.

April and Randall began climbing the bar connecting it to the bars above that the guandula moved along.

“Oh no you don’t, April.” Stockman grabbed her left ankle. She lost her grip and screamed as she fell. She landed on her back. She looked at the maniac in front of her. “You have a date with a dissection table.” he proclaimed.

Randall growled. “Hey, Doc! How about a second opinion?!” He jumped down on top of Stockman’s back, knocking him onto his front.

The turtles now had their chance to get out and surrounded him. They also attacked him and kicked him back into the hole, where Casey was. He got a hold of his legs and pulled him down. Then he climbed out with Mike and Raph’s help.

“Let’s get out of here!” Leo ordered.

They all began climbing the bars. April was last.

Stockman still wasn’t letting her go. He started to tear apart the connector on the guandula. The turtles and Randall had taken a hold of the rope first. Casey was last, as he was her boyfriend. They could feel the shaking. April was having a hard time holding on.

“April, hold on, babe.” Casey said, but she fell back down with the enemy. The rope lifted Casey away.

The guandula was getting ready to fall loose now. Stockman approached April again. “Now, we can finally set things right.” he growled at her.

“Dr. Stockman, please don’t do this. Can’t you remember when your work helped people? When it was about the science? You were a brilliant man. The sky was the limit for you.” April explained. Stockman stopped advancing at her words. Then he once again saw his mom before him instead of April.

“Mama?”

_“The sky was the limit. You were such a good boy. You had so much potential. What happened to you, Baby Doll?” His mama asked._

April went on, “You were someone I admired; someone I respected. And you can be again.”

The guandula continued to pull apart. Stockman was realizing his mistake. April went up to him to try to calm him, and to not hurt her. She was finding out his mind was in a haze, as he kept calling her his mom.

“Mama, it’s not safe. You have to get off of here, Mama.” Stockman said.

“April!” Casey called out and he tried to get his girlfriend back.

Stockman lifted April up to the man who was trying to save her. April took Casey’s hand.

“Hurry, Mama!” Stockman said.

The guandula’s bar finally broke, as it couldn’t take anymore pressure. Stockman screamed as he and the guandula fell into the river.

April hugged Casey in relief. Casey shook his head as he and April were pulled up to the copter.

“That guy was nuts.” Randall scoffed.

“Man, you really think that’s the end of Stockman?” Mikey asked.

“We have seen him come back from worse.” Leo replied. “Only time will tell.”

“Well, I say good riddance! That psycho’s given us nothin’ but grief from the moment we met him!” Raph exclaimed with his arms crossed.

“I don’t know. He did give us this neat chopper.” Don said from the front. The others glanced to their pilot, “Sort of. Now, if I can just find a place to park it.”

It was true. They knew that Don would come up with something. Don headed back to Stock Tronics to where Raph, Casey, and April got off and drove the truck back home to their place first before driving back to the sewer.

Don found a spot on a building at the moment to park the chopper. Then, he and Randall, Leo, and Mikey all went back to the lair for the night.

This had been one weird night. They all had some good bruises, but at least April was safe.

April was more than grateful that all the guys, even Randall, had been willing to put their lives on the line to help her. She wasn’t in grave danger as often as they were, but she was happy they would help her out when it was her turn.

April and Casey went back to her apartment to spend more time together. Randall had gone back to the lair with the turtles.

Don began looking for a place around the lair where he would be able to stash the new helicopter. He found a place on the backside of his lab. He would get to work on it tomorrow to store it after he got some rest.

Randall stayed the night, but went back to April’s the next day to see how she was doing. She was fine, if a little shaken yet. The guys had known better than to leave out the front way to go after her because of the ninjas that were still monitoring her house.

After staying at her home for a few days to take a break from working at the turtles’ lair, he went back again to see how far Don had gotten. He had started to make a landing platform and to make it rise as well. He had come a long way in just a few short days, but the sooner he got the chopper down here, the better.

“It looks like you’ve done a good job.” Randall complimented.

“Thanks. It’s going to be magnificent!” Don said proudly.

The lizard noticed that Donatello seemed a lot happier these days. But, at the same time, his allergies seemed to be getting worse. And it didn’t matter what cold or flu medicine he took, he just wasn’t getting better.

The others just figured the cold had to work its way through his system, letting his body fight it off. It was still winter too, after all.

Randall took this night off of working with Don since he was doing so well working on the platform. He took this night to go hang out with Mikey, as he had been meaning to. They challenged each other to a video game. They battled it out for the highest scores the rest of the evening.


	37. Return of Savanti Romero Part 1

A couple of weeks later, everyone was a lot better, except for Don’s allergies. April announced to the guys that there was a special tour going on at the museum that weekend. It was featuring a new dinosaur exhibit. 

Don couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Leo was more wary about it. 

“I can’t miss this opportunity, Leo. I feel fine enough to go.” Don declared seriously. 

“Let’s wait until Saturday for sure, Don.” Leo advised. 

“Sure.” Don replied. 

Mike and Raph weren’t too excited about going, but they would go for their brother. 

“You guys don’t know what you’re missing.” Don said. 

“Well, I do still like dinosaurs too.” Mikey admitted. 

Randall had seen a few dinosaur movies since he had been there, a few Godzilla movies. And maybe at least one documentary of them. He knew they were extinct giant lizards. “I’d like to go too.” 

“It might be harder for you, Randall.” Raph said. 

“He can camouflage himself and still go.” April said. 

“Yeah, I can.” Randall replied. 

“Let’s wait until we see how Don is feeling Saturday, and wait till its closer to closing time, so there will be less people gawking at us.” Leo advised. 

They all agreed. Splinter had been helping to set up the lair too, though he kept to himself a lot more.  
……………

When Saturday finally came, Don made sure to rest himself most of the day. He always worked so hard, he needed this break to rest so he would feel refreshed and well enough to go to the museum tonight. It would be closer to nine anyway, when they went as the museum would be closing shortly. 

When Leo saw how he was feeling tonight, which seemed to be well enough, he said he could go. 

“I’m not missing this for the world, Leo.” Don said. 

“If you are really sick, you should stay home.” Leo said in a worried tone. 

“I’m fine, Leo. I’ll rest some more when we get back. It won’t be that long.” 

“Alright.” Leo agreed reluctantly. 

They all dressed warmly as they went out, to keep warm and to disguise themselves from the public. Randall went along too. He was wearing his sweater and a coat he had gotten for Christmas just until they got to the museum. 

They picked up April on the way, as this had been her announcement. They drove the van to the museum. Soon, they got there. Randall undressed before following his friends out and into the building. 

Tonight, even Raph and Mikey were having their doubts about this visit. 

“I’m telling ya right now, this a bad idea.” Raph admitted. Even Leo agreed with him. 

“Raph’s right. I got a bad feeling about tonight.” Mikey also admitted. 

Randall had blended and took to the walls. He had never been in here before and wanted see some more human culture. “I can already see there aren’t many humans here.” he said lowly. 

“Still, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t going to be trouble.” Leo replied. 

“What are you talking about? This is going to be great.” Don declared. “How can you not be excited about being in a museum?” 

Mikey and Raph glanced at one another, and said in unison, “Boring!” 

“You won’t think that when we get to the main attraction.” Don said. 

“Is it a snack bar? Now that I could get excited about.” Mikey admitted. 

“Figures.” Randall said to himself. The youngest seemed to only care about food when it wasn’t video games or comics. 

Don was walking next to April. Raph and Mike were in the middle, and Leo was bringing up the rear, being the protective big brother that he was. He too was uneasy. He looked around, seeing a security guard and a custodian. He turned his head to the right and then he was shocked when he saw a turtle in the exhibit. 

Randall saw his reaction from above and went down to see, a little surprised at it too. “Come on, Leo. It’s just a fake turtle.” he encouraged Leo to move on. 

Leo moved on to catch up with his family. Randall did too. It had been just a display of a sea turtle. 

“The museum is closing in twenty minutes, so there shouldn’t be very many people. But keep a low profile.” Leo declared. 

Don suddenly stopped. His brothers and April started going around him when he started to feel a sneeze come on. The others glanced at him. Then he let loose a powerful sneeze. It echoed around the museum. 

“Gazoontight.” Mikey said. 

“That’s not exactly what I meant by low profile.” Leo said. 

“Sorry.” Don replied, then sniffled. He rubbed his nose. 

“You okay, Don?” Leo asked. 

“Just a stuffy nose. Nothing serious enough to miss this!” Don explained as they finally found the exhibit. “Dinosaurs!” he exclaimed happily. 

Randall was on the ceiling and he saw it too. At least they weren’t alive. 

“Isn’t it fantastic? It’s the largest dinosaur exhibit in the country.” Don stated. 

Mikey just saw dullsville. “Yeah, this is much more exciting than playing video games or reading comic books.” he said sarcastically. “Thanks, Don.” 

“Ya know, it’s not too late to ditch this place and go find something to fight. Bishop’s monsters are still out there! Fighting them would be less painful than this.” Raph complained. 

Randall could see how Mike and Raph just didn’t have the patience for this because they just weren’t into sciencey stuff. It definitely took a special understanding for wanting to go to a museum and look at dead bones and displays. 

“Look!” Don pointed. “There’s a stegosaurus. And a pteranodon skeleton.” 

“Look, there’s a nerdosaur.” Mikey joked. 

“And I see a geekosauraus rex.” Raph added on to the joke. 

Don got what they were joking about. “I’ve been a dinosaur fanatic as long as I can remember.” he admitted. “All the cool fossils. All the different species. The mystery of their extinction. What’s not to like?” Then he pointed out a turtle skeleton. “You see that Archalon?”

They all looked at the turtle skeleton. “As turtles, we have ancestors that go all the way back, even before the Cretaceous period. Dinosaurs are like, our ancient cousins.” Don explained. 

Randall had no idea it was that way. It also made more sense now, especially to Donatello.

Mikey rubbed his head, “Geesh! And I thought Raph was the ugliest relative we had.” 

“Hardy har, Mikey.” Raph scoffed at his little bro. 

Then a robotic raptor came out of the bushes and roared. It startled both turtles. “What the-?!” Raph gaped. He and Mike both took out their weapons as if it was a threat. Randall silently panicked too, but stayed where he was. 

Leo came over to them, “Mikey, Raph, easy.” 

Raph and Mikey put their weapons away. Leo had tried to shield their weapons as a museum director was showing some other tourists around. Leo looked at him warily. 

The raptor went back into its hiding spot. 

“Did I mention the animatronic exhibits? They’re state of the art.” Don stated proudly. 

“Look, Donny. Chickenasauruses.” April joked about Don’s bros. 

Even Randall got her joke, but he too had been startled. The raptor bushled again, and the two turtles walked away from the bushes. Then they all walked up to the biggest skeleton in the room. 

“And there’s the king! The Tyrannosaurus Rex!” Don said. 

“I’d hate to run into that in a dark alley.” Mikey admitted. 

“Just imagine what it would have been like back then. Herds of dinosaurs grazing peacefully, and then, THUM! THUM! THUM! The T-rex attacks!” Don explained what it could have been like for the plant eating dinos so long ago. Randall knew he wouldn’t want to experience it, nor did the others. 

Then, behind them, the bones of the T-rex started to glow and growl. It started to come alive! 

Randall’s eyes lit up. “Uh, Don, is that a robot too?” he asked. 

“What?” Don glanced behind him. The others were a little more on edge now as well. 

The skeleton was now looking alive! “Uh, no. No, it’s not!” Don got scared and started backing away. They all backed away. Randall could only watch from the wall. The T-rex bones roared at them. 

The tourists and director behind them panicked and ran off. 

The skeleton took a step toward the turtles and April, but then, the bones broke apart and started circling them. There was an evil laugh emitting from them. 

“I take it this isn’t part of the exhibit?” Leo questioned. 

“I think that’s a good consumption.” Don replied in a scared tone. 

Then the bones began to reconfigure. They began to take the shape of a humanoid head with long back flowing downward horns. To the turtles, the head shape looked familiar. 

Three of the turtles withdrew their weapons now that the other humans were out of the room. 

The head finished coming together and it started talking, “Greetings from the Cretaceous, you miserable reptiles!” It laughed maniacally in their faces. 

The turtles all tensed up. The voice and look was definitely familiar! The security alarm started going off. April and Randall had no idea who this was, or what it was about. 

The security guard ran to see what the fuss was. He gasped at the sight. “I don’t get paid enough for this!” he said and ran out. 

The head spoke again after finishing his laughing, “Fitting I should find you freaks here along with the dinosaurs. For soon, you too will be extinct!”

“That’s Savanti Romero!” Don remembered. 

“Savanti Romero?” April asked. “Didn’t you guys tell me he was banished millions of years in the past?” 

Randall had heard the story about him by now too. He was creepy alright. He wouldn’t get him or his friends without a fight. 

“That’s what we thought.” Leo answered. 

“There’s nowhere you can hide from my magic. Even from the distant past, I can find you and send this message of your impending and inevitable doom!” Savanti exclaimed. 

“A message of doom. Well, you can be sure he sent the very best.” Mikey remarked. 

“You never should have interfered in my plans to capture the time scepter.” The head moved toward them, making them back up more. “Now, you will pay! Mark my words, Turtles. Everything you know, everything you care about, I will erase! From the past, I will destroy your futures! I will deal with Lord Simultaneous and his apprentice soon enough. But wiping your entire timeline will be a good start to my revenge!” 

“Enough of this noise! Bring it now, Bonehead!” Raph demanded angrily. 

The voice went on, not really answering Raph’s challenge, “Should you try and wish to stop me, I’ll be waiting in the Ring of Fire!” he laughed some more. 

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Raph said again and he jumped to attack. That was when the bones collapsed into a heap on the floor. 

Randall was shocked this had been able to happen at all. So were his friends. 

“I can’t take you guys anywhere.” April complained. 

“Why is it these bad guys don’t stay down when we put a beatin’ on ‘em?” Raph asked, putting his sais away. 

Randall came down off the wall now that the room was clear of other humans. He appeared next to them. 

“Did you notice how he didn’t respond to Raph?” Don asked. “It was weird, like a recording, or a time capsule. Like he knew we would be here tonight, and enchanted those bones from the past.”

“Do you think he could make good on all those threats?” Mikey asked. 

“I don’t know. Magic’s not really my thing.” Don replied. He walked over to a map. “Look! This is the Ring of Fire he mentioned.” The others came over to examine it too. “It’s a string of volcanos that line the whole of the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Alaska.”

“Well, that narrows it down.” Leo replied. 

“But what does this have to do with the Ring of Fire?” Randall asked. 

“It doesn’t make sense. He challenged us to stop him, but he must know we don’t have any way to get to him in the past. We’d need a time machine.” Don explained. 

Then a greenish spiraling light blinded them, making them cover their eyes and back away for safety measures. It was a portal! It appeared right on the map, and out stepped a girl wearing clocks all over her blue clothes, and on her head. “Hi, guys.” she greeted. “It is like, so great to see you guys again!” She ran over and hugged Leo. He had an arm around her. 

Leo was still in shock, “Uh, Renet?” 

“I can’t believe it’s been so long. Well, it seems like a long time, but in Null Time, you never know.” Renet replied. 

Randall looked at this strange girl in the room with a questioning look. 

“This can’t be a coincidence.” Don stepped up. “Renet, what are you doing here?” he asked her. 

“I’m graduating! Or at least I will if I pass my final exam. Lord Simultaneous said this crono crisis is my final, so I’m like, totally stressed. And yet, if, no, when I pass, I’ll go from Apprentice Timestress to Temperal Infraction Escaplicator First Grade!” she explained. 

Her explanation was rather shocking to hear. They had never heard of such a job title, or school grade before. Not even Randall. 

“So, that’s Renet?” April turned to Raph. 

“Yeah, she’s kinda a lot to take in.” Raph replied. 

“Renet, if Lord Simultaneous know this is happening, why doesn’t he just fix it? He’s the all Master of Time, right?” Mikey asked. 

“Well, I have to do it. It’s my final exam. And I came here to see if you guys wanna help?” she requested. 

They all stared at her, shocked that she would ask that of them. But then, they knew they had to do something about the previous threats. This was their only chance. 

Leo looked at the others, “Guys, huddle up.” His bros went over to him. Randall and April didn’t move. This was the turtles’ decision. 

“Look, I know Savanti’s setting a trap. You know he is too. But, we can’t really leave this to Renet, can we?” Leo asked. 

“Especially because if Savanti can somehow destroy us from the past, it should have happened already.” Don exclaimed. 

“Meaning?” Mikey asked. 

“Meaning Little Miss Tick-Tock over there might be the one that goes back in time and messes things up for all of us. And I mean, all of us.” Raph finished, putting his hands on his hips. 

They broke away as a group and Leo came up to her, “Alright, Renet. We’ll go along and help in any way we can.” he said. 

Renet smiled. “YES! Trust me, this is going to be a breeze. I’ve gotten like really good with the time sceptor. Here we go!” She held the sceptor up and it started to glow, but April spoke up. 

“Whoa! I mean as in hold on. Renet, right? I’m April.” April introduced herself. 

Renet stopped her spell. “Of course, I know you, April. I know you too, Randall. Remember when I showed you… Wait, no, that hasn’t happened yet.” Renet stopped herself from revealing something in the future. “Oops. Sorry. I always do that.” 

Randall was amazed this girl knew his name without him or the others telling her about him. Was he really up for this adventure too? 

“What? Can you just drop me off at home? I don’t think I’m up for a trip to the Cretaceous today.” April asked of her. “What about you, Randall?” 

Randall looked at April. It had been a little while since there had been out of this world excitement, other than the old lair getting destroyed. He thrived on challenges. He wanted to see these giant lizards in action! To go back to a world of reptilian beings being alive would be amazing! 

“I think I’ll go with them.” Randall replied. Renet was pleased. 

“Oh, no problem. Home, it is.” Renet raised the sceptor and everyone tensed as April disappeared from the room. 

April appeared in the lair’s living room. Splinter was in there when his candles went out and he sensed something else at work. 

April looked around and saw she was not at home. “Ah! I meant my home.” She cringed in annoyance. Then she started to talk to Splinter. “Master Splinter, you’re not gonna believe this…” 

He held up a hand. “Stop, please. It is probably better that I do not know.” Then he went back to meditation.  
……………

Renet held up the sceptor again and she and the five reptiles went back to the Cretaceous period. The landing was pretty soft, except for Raph’s, who landed on his back. “I thought you said ya had gotten good with that thing?” he rubbed his head. 

“I am.” she retorted. 

They all looked around at where they were. They definitely weren’t in their timeline anymore. It was warmer here. There was a volcano, among many in the background. And dinosaurs. 

Randall wondered if monsters even existed during this era? They could have in their own dimension, but there would have been no humans to scare. They all would have been in the beginning of their roots. 

“Wow! I actually did it!” Renet was surprised she had done the transfer process just right. 

“Should we be worried she sounds so surprised?” Mikey asked. 

The guys still all had their human disguises on. Don stepped forward to look at the scenery. He pulled up his sunglasses. “Look at it all! Look! There’s an Apatosaurus! A real, living Apatosaurus!” He saw some long necked dinosaurs eating plants from a tree. 

Leo looked around and he saw a dead dino close by, with a predator coming to investigate if it was dead and ready to be eaten. It started to tuck in to the meal. Leo looked back to his family, “On your toes, guys. We might look like snacks to some of these guys.” he warned the others. 

“I ain’t afraid of no prehistoric dino-brain!” Raph snarled and pulled out his sais. 

“Whoa. We need to be careful while we’re here.” Don stepped forward away from his scenery watch. “This isn’t some other dimension or some alternate universe. This is our world’s past. Anything we do here could alter the future; we could unintentionally change our entire timeline. We can’t leave anything behind, and we have to-” he began to sneeze again, and it let loose.

“Gazoontight.” Randall said. 

“So if I leave these clothes here, you think some archeologist in the present would find ’em and freak out?” Raph asked. 

“Maybe. Looks like we need to pack everything up.” Leo said. 

The turtles all packed up their clothes into special packs. While they were doing that, Randall also used some vines nearby to make a belt for his tonfas that had been brought along too. He would carry them himself here. He would save his invisibility for special occasions. Mikey usually held the tonfas when Randall had to hide on walls. He only used two, but he was beginning to think of adding another pair. 

Once everything was all packed up, the packs were put on their backs. At least now for the turtles, their stuff was far less of a distraction. 

“Let’s get moving.” Leo said. The rest followed him. 

“Now, the first thing we have to do is get a fix on our-Ah choo!” Don sneezed again, really loud this time that it echoed in the air. Even some dinosaurs raised their heads in alarm. 

Randall was questioning in his mind if Donatello should have come because of his cold. He would have been better off resting back at home in the past, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. They were here in the Cretaceous and had to make the best of it. 

“Sorry.” Don apologized, and rubbed his nose. Then there was a strange sound and shaking. 

Dust was being stirred a herd of dinosaurs was running toward them! 

“Uh, gazoontight?” Mikey said, with a touch of fear in his voice. 

“RUN!” Leo ordered. He and the others all began to run. Don had to grab onto Renet to make sure she was keeping up with them. Randall kept up just fine. 

The dinosaurs caught up to them, but went around them, or stepped over them. 

Raph growled and yelled at Don, “Way to go, Sneezy!” 

“I said I was sorry!” Don called over to him. 

“Watch it!” Raph pushed Mikey out of the way of a dino. “Whoa!” and had to dodge one himself. 

“Renet! Use the scepter! Get us out of here!” Don ordered to Renet. 

“Oh, right. Oh, why aren’t you working?” Don had let go of Renet, which made her stop. “I thought we had an understanding.” 

Don stopped and looked back at Renet. He went back for her, “Renet! Wake up!” He picked her up and continued running to keep from being stepped on. 

Randall too was worried about being stepped on. He was fast for sure, but these giant lizards would be able to kill him and his friends without even trying if they were stepped on. Then, an idea came to him. There was a dino close to him and he ran and jumped onto it, getting him more out of the danger zone. 

Raph saw him do that and decided to do the same. “And to think, April bailed on this!” Mikey said next to him. 

“She’d probably love it. Heads up, Mikey!” Raph pushed Mikey away from him just before he could get stepped on. Then he jumped onto the dino, doing the same as Randall. “Hey! Check me out!” Raph shouted down at Mikey. 

Mikey laughed and thought of doing the same as well. He did. It was fun riding them. “Yee haw!” he yelled happily, like a cowboy. 

“Mikey! Follow me!” Raph ordered. 

Leo also jumped onto a dino. 

Randall looked over and he saw what his friends were doing when he heard Raphael‘s order. 

Raph took the lead this time and he made a leap for a tall rock overhead. Mikey followed. He landed on the edge, hanging on. Raph helped him up. 

Randall took a few leaps over some dinos and got to the rock too. His sucker hands and feet were enough to get him up just fine. 

Leo jumped over a few dinos as well and landed on the rock safely. Now they just needed Don and Renet to join them. 

Don had stayed on the ground with Renet on his shoulders. He saw where his brothers and Randall had gone and he finally got onto a dino to get better access to the rock. 

“Hey, Don! Donny! Over here!” The others were calling and waving to him. 

Don jumped to the rock, with his left foot hitting it and slipping off. Renet screamed. Leo was right beside him and he grabbed his left hand first. Raph came over and helped, being the strongest turtle. They both pulled both Don and Renet up to the rock. 

“Well, that was fun.” Mikey admitted, “In a scary, we almost lost our lives sort of way.” 

“Yeah, really nice save with the time scepter.” Raph said. 

Renet looked over at the guys. They all had unhappy and worried looks on their faces. “It’s not my fault! The time scepter’s not working.” She gave a little shrug. 

“And let me guess: We’re stuck here?” Randall stated. 

Renet turned around and sank to her knees. “I don’t know what happened.” She closed her eyes sadly. 

Leo face palmed himself. This girl really had a lot to learn yet. 

Don stepped forward and sat down. “Here, let me take a look at it. Maybe something shook loose during the stampede.” he offered. 

Renet looked back at him, considering it. Raph sat down next to her as well, but then, there was something that bumped him from behind. “Hey!” he snapped. 

Raph looked behind himself and there was a dinosaur sniffing his rear. He held still for the moment. He finally moved. 

Mikey came over to say hi. “Hi there, big guy. I think he likes you, Raph. You should embrace this. Not many people think you smell good.” 

Raph grumbled, then took his pack off to see if it was because of something in there. He heard some rustling.

The others were curious as to why this dino was checking them out. 

“Lose something?” Raph asked Mikey.

“What?” Mikey asked. 

Raph pulled out a bag of chips and held it up. “This.” 

“Uh, I always keep a spare bag of chips around. You never know when you might need a snack.” was Mikey’s explanation. Raph threw it in his face angrily and crossed his arms. 

Mikey looked back at the dinosaur. “Aw! You’re a good dino, aren’t ya?”

The Triceratops was licking at the rock, trying to get to the chips. Mikey picked up the bag and opened it. The others just wanted to get moving, and here Mikey was catering to this dino like it was a dog. 

Mikey fed the Triceratops some chips. “I’m gonna call you Spike, after one of the Land Before Time dinos.” he said. 

“Spike was a Stegosaurus, Mikey, and I hate to point out that you might have just changed all of human history by feeding him some potato chips from the future!” Don said, irritated at Mikey. It was like he hadn’t heard a word he had said the moment they got there. 

Raph whacked Mikey upside the head. “Hey!” Mikey snapped. 

“Way to go, doofus.” Raph pointed out. 

“Renet? Are you sure the scepter isn’t working?” Leo asked. 

The scepter was always blue when the others saw it, now it was red in her hand. “I think it’s overheating! It’s not supposed to glow red.” Renet stated. The scepter glowed for a moment and stopped. 

Spike then looked to his left, growling. He could sense something. 

“What’s wrong, Spike? Who’s a good boy?” Mikey said in baby talk. 

Leo and Randall looked out where Spike was looking. Randall tasted the air. “I can smell that there’s something out there.” Randall said. 

“Something’s coming.” Leo warned the others. 

A two-legged predator dino then jumped out of hiding, ready to get its next meal. It roared. 

“Dinonocus!” Don cried out, taking out his bo. “One of the most vicious of the carnivores!” A couple more of them jumped out too. 

“What was that again, Renet? Refresh my memory. Oh yeah. Trust me, this is gonna be a breeze.” Raph flashbacked angrily. 

The Dinonocus were getting closer. There were three of them. 

“Get ready, everyone. The Dinonocus is one of the smartest of the dinosaurs!” Don warned. “They’re fast, with powerful jaws and they have a razor sharp sickle claw on each foot!” he explained. 

“You know, being a dino fanatic wasn’t so bad when we weren’t about to be eaten by a real dinosaur!” Mikey stated in fear. 

They all took their weapons out, bracing for a fight. 

“Anything else we need to know?” Randall asked. 

“Uh, did I mention… they can jump?!” Don cried out. He ran the other way, grabbing Renet on the way off. She voiced her fear of the jump. The others followed him. Raph stayed up for a moment longer. 

Leo and Randall landed first, with Mikey right behind them. A Dinonocus saw them and started chasing them. “Nice lizard!” Mikey whined. 

One of them faced off against Raph. He tried batting it with his sais and missed. He started to run and it chased him. He eventually kicked it hard in the face, making if fall over backwards. 

On the ground, Don had let go of Renet. They ran and one of the Dinonocus got in their way, blocking them from joining the others. He roared at them. He had a strange glow in his eyes. 

Renet whimpered. Don got in front of her with his bo raised. “Alright. Renet, just stay behind me.” Don said gently. Then he charged at the dino with the bo raised. 

The Dinonocus caught the end of the bo and snapped the end off of it viciously. Then it pinned Don down to the ground. Then, Don sneezed again. 

It made the dino back off and leave. “Saved by a sneeze. Now that’s embarrassing.” Don said. He got up and chased after the dino, picking up his bo in the process. He jumped onto the shoulders and tried to hold on. 

The dino bucked his head hard and Don got thrown off, onto his own head and onto his plastron. The Dinonocus saw that the turtle was down and was a good chance to get a meal. He advanced toward it. 

“Don! Get up!” Renet cried out. She got in front of him to protect him. 

“Get away from him, you smelly thing!” she shouted at the dino. 

“Renet, no!” Don called to her. He knew she was trying to protect him, but she was no ninja. 

The Dinonocus ran and started to jump at her, but then, Spike attacked and struck the predator, knocking it away from them. He got in front of Don and Renet. Don got up, “Alright, Spike!” Don cheered. 

The light in the predator’s eyes suddenly vanished, revealing slit eyes. It backed off and ran off. 

A fourth one came out of hiding and was dealing with Randall and Leo. It came at Leo first and he dodged it many times. Then it came at Randall. Randall threw his tonfas down and he vanished, making the dino stop and question what happened to itself. Then it went for Leo again. 

Leo knew Randall was not a top heavy fighter. He would deal with this the best he could. Then Leo heard a shout, “Leo! Lure him towards the tree!” 

Leo did just that. “Throw me a sword!” Randall ordered. 

The blue masked turtle threw one of his katanas up to Randall. He caught it and he sliced through a thick branch, which came down on the dinosaur’s head, knocking it down, unconscious, or possibly dead. 

Randall came down from the tree and regrouped with Leonardo. Then they regrouped with the others. He also picked his tonfas back up. 

“Way to go, Spike!” Mikey cheered for his new dino friend. “Good soldier!” 

Spike snorted. 

“Hey, why’d they leave? You think we scared ‘em off?” Raph asked. 

Leo and Randall both looked behind Raph. “Nope.” Leo said. 

“Ya think something else even more horrible is coming?” Raph asked. 

“Yep.” Randall replied. 

There were what sounded like giant footsteps and they shook the ground, like an earthquake starting. Mikey, Raph, Renet, and Don heard it too, and they all braced for it. 

“Whatever it is, it’s big.” Don said. 

Trees started collapsing. When the final tree went down, Mikey asked, “You think it’s friendly?” 

Then, a huge T-rex stepped out from the trees, with a figure on its back. “More like big and hungry.” Don replied nervously. 

“Savanti Romero!” Leo exclaimed.

TBC...


	38. Return of Savanti Romero Part 2

The turtles all tensed at seeing the sorcerer again. So did Renet. Randall didn’t know who this was, but he was just as tense, knowing this was an enemy just from hearing his threats earlier.

Savanti laughed evilly. “Welcome, Turtles. I’ve been expecting you and welcome, to your extinction!” He laughed some more that he had gotten his enemies to listen to his threat. He had a staff in his left hand, created from bones.

The T-rex roared. There were some smaller dinos around too, predators as well.

“I called it! It was a trap. Pay up.” Mikey stated.

“And you, Renet! Give me the time scepter, or watch your little green and… purple friends become dinosaur chow!” Savanti warned the girl. He had obviously noticed Randall by now too.

Leo pulled Renet away. More Dinonocus approached Randall and the other three turtles.

Don started to sneeze again, before Mikey blocked Don’s nose with his nunchuku. “Last time you sneezed, you caused a dino stampede. This cold of yours is gonna be the end of us!” Mikey warned him.

Leo ran towards Spike. He had Renet on his shoulder. “Leo! Put me down! This is embarrassing!” Renet said to him.

Leo then put Renet on Spike’s back. “Stay there, and fix the time scepter.” Leo said, and pulled his katanas out. Then he ran back to fight the enemy.

Renet wanted to help. “I have to do something. Work!” she demanded angrily. She waved the scepter around and put it near Spike’s frill, zapping him enough to make him go roaring ahead. He charged towards the T-rex.

Spike pushed the T-rex over a bit, but he didn’t fall. Savanti was mad. Spike rushed him again.

Leo saw this happening and he got onto Spike’s face, jumping off and landing on the T-rex’s back and leaped onto Savanti, knocking him off backwards. Spike charged into the large predator head first, knocking him over. Renet fell off too.

Spike was proud of himself. Renet ran up beside him, “Is it over? Did we, like, win?” she asked.

Leo and Savanti were lying near each other and they both got up. Leo picked up his katanas.

“You dare touch me!” Savanti yelled at the turtle angrily. He zapped Leo and he was thrown a few feet away. He dropped his swords. “I grow weary of this! Bring me the time scepter, my pets!” Savanti ordered some Pteranodons. “Bring it, NOW!”

The Pterandons screeched and followed his orders, who were now under his spell.

One Pteranodon flew down and knocked Renet down, making the scepter go flying. Another Pteranodon caught it with its taloned feet and and dropped it to Savanti.

Savanti was thrilled he now had the scepter and could do what he wanted with it.

“He’s got the scepter!” Don cried out.

Leo, Mikey, and Raph tried to go for it, but Savanti used the scepter to raise a rock wall in front of them to prevent them from getting to him.

“Randall, you can get across better than we can.” Leo exclaimed. “Go help Renet.”

“On it!” Randall replied and he took to climbing the wall as fast as he could.

A Pteranodon screeched from the air and came down to let Savanti climb on its back. It lifted back to the air. “You failed, reptiles! The time scepter is mine! And now, for the last part of my plan, the Timestress herself!”

Randall had just got to the top of the wall and going down. Don managed to get up next. He saw that Savanti was aiming for Renet.

“Renet, RUN!” Don called to Renet.

Renet had just stood up. “What?” she asked. Then the Pterandon picked her up, making her scream. Spike tried to help, but there was nothing he could do.

Randall reached the bottom and knew there was nothing he could do to help either. He still recalled on monsters back in his world that could fly too, but he was not one of them. And it was too bad the guys had left their tech packs back in their world.

Savanti laughed evilly as he went higher into the air on his flyer. “Farewell, reptiles. Enjoy your exile here! The Timestress and I have a rather pressing engagement, with a meteor!” he proclaimed as they flew off toward a string of volcanoes.

The other turtles had reached Don’s side by now. “Renet.” Don said in sadness. They got down off the rock wall and reached Randall’s side. “We have to get her back.”

“And we will, Donny.” Leo assured Don by placing a hand on his shoulder. Then, he turned to Randall, “Randall, can you track them?”

“I think so.” Randall replied. He took the point. Aside from seeing where they had flown, he was also tasting the air for the scent. He could taste it. But when they came to a thick area of bushes, Leo got in front and began slashing at the bushes to make a path for his family.

“This stinks.” Mikey complained from behind. “We’ve been trapsing around this greenhouse for hours. I know Renet said this was a big test for her, but come on, it’s looking like an F so far.” He pointed out in his opinion. “I mean, Lord Simultaneous sent her here. Why doesn’t he do something?”

“Because he’s a grade A jerk, that’s why.” Raph replied angrily.

“I hope she’s okay.” Don said.

“And she’s our only ticket home.” Randall added.

“We’re gonna find her. Renet’s going to be okay.” Leo said.

“She better be!” Raph snapped.

The five of them jumped down a hillside and continued following the scent.   
…………..

Renet had fallen unconscious on the ride there. She started coming around and had no idea where she was. “Oh, what a terrible nightmare. Where am I? Ahh!” she screamed when she saw Savanti.

“We meet again, Timestress.” Savanti greeted her, “for the last time! I do hope you’re enjoying the view.” Renet was chained in the middle of an open space spire that had been made entirely of dinosaur bones.

“Let me go, Creep! And give my back my scepter!” Renet demanded angrily.

“Your master is a fool to trust you with such power. And soon, I will use that power to destroy him!” Savanti proclaimed.

“So, what do you need me for? I don’t think he’s going to come for me if that’s what you’re-” Renet stated.

“You think I’m using you as bait? No.” He shook his head. “My magic needs fuel. The life of an Apprentice Timestress, for example.”

Renet whimpered. This guy was such a maniac, like many others.   
…………..

The guys were were hot on the trail. Don was bringing up the rear, Randall in the lead. Mikey was munching on some chips.

Don started to sneeze again, and did. But he felt like he was about to collapse. He leaned heavily on his bo to keep from falling. The others looked back to see him in that state. They ran back to him, concerned.

“Don? You okay, Don? You need to rest?” Leo asked in concern.

“Do you need a chip?” Mikey asked, then threw a few into his mouth.

“It’s just this annoying cold.” Don replied. “But, it’s nothing compared to our real problem. Even if we save Renet, I’m not sure we’re going to make it out of this. We don’t have much time.” He leaned on his bo again.

His explanation now had the others concerned.

“Uh, what’s with the ‘we don’t have much time?’” Mikey asked.

“What are you talking about?” Raph asked.

“She could get us out of here when we rescue her.” Randall said.

“Yes, she can, but while we are here, from how things look around here, this is the late Cretaceous period. And from the way Savanti has been talking about extinction and meteors, see that up there?” Don stated, making them all look to the sky, seeing a bright light in the sky. “I don’t think that’s a star glowing up there.”

It was a meteor headed for Earth.

“I think that’s an asteroid. _The_ asteroid, you know, the cataclysmic disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs!” Don finished. He looked at his brothers and Randall. Their faces all lit up in shock.

“Huh?!” Leo let out, then he put a hand to his head, shaking it.

“Thanks for the pep talk, Don.” Mikey stated sarcastically.

“This just keeps getting better and better.” Raph growled.

“Let’s find Renet and get the shell out of here.” Leo said, taking the lead.

“Now I know I shouldn’t have come.” Randall said.

“Without you, we wouldn’t be making as much leeway as we have. Are we getting any closer?” Leo asked.

Randall tasted the air again. “Yes, getting closer.”

They followed the lizard to the volcano area, and when they went through a rose bush thicket, Leo sliced some more to make a path, Randall right behind him.

“How much longer is this gonna take?” Raph demanded.

Once they were out of the roses, Randall and the three older bros froze and looked up in amazement. Mikey wasn’t paying attention, then he bumped into Raph. “Hey! What’s the-?” Then he saw it too.

They had never seen such a magnificent feat like that; a spire made from dinosaur bones like that.

“Whoa!” Mikey said in astonishment.

“How much you wanna bet that Renet’s at the top of that thing?” Raph remarked.

Randall tasted the air again. “Yes, she is. So is the creature.”

“Shh!” Leo shushed him. He took the lead again and they all walked forward, peering through the bushes to see if they were up against anything.

Down below, there was a meat eating dinosaur guarding the entrance up. “It‘s a Velociraptor!” Don exclaimed in fear.

“Oh, man. Those are worst ones! I saw Jurassic Park twice!” Mikey whimpered.

“Puh-leeze! That’s a Velociraptor?! Oh, scary!” Raph mocked sarcastically.

“Uh, guys?” Leo pointed again.

“Huh?” Don said.

Randall had seen that movie once with Mikey. He was now seeing these dinos for real! There was a far greater number of them down below than there ever was in the movie!

“Did I mention they hunt in packs?” Don mentioned another dino fact.

“Making it all the harder to get to Renet, no doubt.” Randall stated.

“We have to make it to that spire. Wait a minute, I’ll think of a plan.” Leo said.

“Leave it to me!” Mikey spoke up. He tied his bag of chips to his pack and shouted, “Hey, Fido?! How’d you like some twentieth century dino chow!” Mikey threw his pack out of hiding. The pack hit the ground and the chips went everywhere.

The raptor that was standing there smelled the chips but took no interest in it. It looked up at the bushes, knowing something else must be up there. More looked up there too.

“Great. They’re looking up here like we’re the dino chow!” Raph stated angrily.

“That’s your plan?” Randall asked in shock.

“Mikey, they’re carnivores! They won’t eat chips!” Don exclaimed.

Mikey gulped. “Oh, right. Oops!” he tried an innocent grin. Then he felt another slap on his head. “Ow!”

“Shell-for-brains!” Raph shouted at him.

Leo looked back out and gasped. He saw the raptors starting to head their way up towards them. “Looks like we’re switching to Plan B.” Leo took out his katanas.

“What’s Plan B?” Mikey asked.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I come up with it.” Leo replied.

The raptors got up the hill and found the five of them. They were advancing on them.

“Get to the spire! Run!” Leo ordered.

“Run? That’s your big plan?” Raph demanded.

“Raph, just go!” Don ordered. He had his bo at the ready.

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” Randall said. He followed Raph out of the bushes and downward.

Don whacked one with his bo and followed next. Then it was Leo and Mikey. They all ran for the spire. The raptors were right behind them.

Raph got to the spire first, with Randall right behind him. It was easy for Randall to get on and climb. Raph leapt high, but lost his grip for a moment, when Randall grabbed onto him, pulling him up.

“Go on, keep going!” Randall ordered, making sure the others were going to make it up too.

Don was able to make it up just fine. Then Leo. Mikey was at the rear. He jumped on, but was at the lowest part. The raptors were closing in on him.

“Leo!” Mikey cried out. Leo was ready for him.

“Mikey! Quit playing around and give me your hand!” Leo ordered.

Mikey made a jump and he got out of the raptor’s reach. “Playing around, he says.” he retorted. “I think I’ll leave the strategy to you from now on.”

“Good plan.” Leo said, then he swung Mikey up to get a grip.

Randall saw that Leonardo had it under control with Mikey. Don and Raph were doing just fine too. He turned and started after Don.

Mikey started to climb and he remarked, “Ew! Please don’t tell me what I think it is.”

“It’s made out of fresh bones, dinosaur bones!” Don exclaimed. “Hundreds of thousands of them!”

“Ew! What did I just say?! I said, don’t tell me! EW!” Mikey yelled back at Don.

“Mikey, come on.” Leo said. Mikey did as he was told.

Randall couldn’t believe he was on these gross things either, but he knew he and his friends didn’t have a choice if they were going to rescue Renet and get them home before the asteroid hit the Earth.

It took a good while to climb the spire, the sun was starting to set.

“Randall, stay behind us, and when we give you the word, if we can’t get the scepter, it’s up to you.” Leo said.

“Alright.” Randall nodded.

“This won’t be easy to deal with Savanti.” Don said.

“But we’re not going to let him win!” Raph declared.

“No way!” Mikey added.

They all were agreed and continued. Randall moved to the rear. He vanished as they all got closer to the circle up at the very top.   
……………

Up at the top, in the circle, Renet could feel all her limbs were cramping and hurting. She looked up at Savanti. “Um, Sir? Can you like, let me down now? This is like, totally uncomfortable! I mean, I am done, okay?”

Savanti ignored her, and he was conspiring his own thoughts about how the spell was going to go. The clouds above were swirling. “The spells are cast. Everything’s in place. Nothing can stop me now!” he declared evilly.

“Savanti!” A voice rang out. He turned to see the four turtles standing there. “Let her go, Demon!” Leonardo demanded.

The turtles all were giving him angry glares. “Or else!” Raph added on.

Renet was glad they had finally made it. “Leo! Guys!” she said all too happily.

Savanti was ticked that they were here. “Persistent little reptiles, aren’t you?! No matter. Your fates are sealed!” he exclaimed.

“Guys! He’s like, insane!” Renet said. “He’s going to destroy the timeline!”

The turtles all knew this was trouble, as did Randall. Lightning flashed all around them. There was the fear of being struck by lightning, but it was the least of their worries right now. Randall was under the bones, and making sure to hang on. He was listening to every word as well. He had to be stopped here and now!

The time scepter had been encased in an array of bones that almost resembled a long necked dinosaur.

Mikey screamed in fear. “Your timeline!” Renet finished. “And me!”

“Fools! In a few minutes, my magic will call down a drain of eldridge energy, that will be channeled through the time scepter, joining with its power, and incinerating your precious Timestress! Her destruction will release a blast of magical energy, straight into the seething molten core of the planet!” Savanti raved.

“A blast of that magnitude would set off every volcano in the Ring of Fire, causing the Earth to rotate just enough for the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, to miss. It would change the timeline. Humanity would never rise, never exist! We, would never exist.” Don explained Savanti’s rant, indicating just how truly evil the monster was.

Randall heard the explanation too. That was scary!

Savanti laughed maniacally again. “No more turtles; no more Renet. And with the power of the sacrifice of a Timestress, an entire timeline that’ll give me power enough to rival Lord Simultaneous himself. Ha ha ha ha! I’ll enjoy seeing you all disappear into oblivion!”

“Disappear this, whack bag!” Raph yelled angrily, and jumped over to fight Savanti.

“Raph, wait!” Leo called out, but it was too late.

Savanti started using his magic to fire magical bolts of power to shoot Raph with, but Raph easily dodged them while in the air, and he got to the other side, where he kicked the maniac in the chest.   
  
Savanti grunted, but didn’t falter. “I was going to let the dinosaurs destroy you four, but if you insist, I’ll do the job personally!” he exclaimed angrily. He let out a powerful bolt of magic that surrounded Raphael and picked him up and took him back to his brothers.

They all looked over at Savanti after Raph was back with them. Savanti then summoned his magic to start gathering bones off his spire to make armor for his body.

“Ew!” Mikey complained.

Once the bones were done being collected on him, Savanti proclaimed, “Let’s have some fun!” laughing maniacally again before leaping over to the turtles’ side of the spire.

“We don’t have time for this! Leo, grab the time scepter!” Don ordered.

“Hey!” Renet cried out.

Don looked down at her, reminding him she was still dangling there in the middle. “And save Renet!” he added.

“We’ll hold off Savanti.” Mikey declared. They all kicked into action.

Raph and Mikey went to fight Savanti while Leo first went to try to cut Renet loose. Savanti easily picked up the two turtles and body slammed them into each other and threw them away. He saw the blue masked turtle trying to cut the first chain.

“Hold on, Renet.” Leo said. Savanti came up behind him.

Renet’s eyes widened. Randall saw him too.

“Leo, look out!” Randall called out, but not in time to warn him.

Savanti slammed his arms down onto Leo’s shell, smashing him onto his plastron in pain. He claimed his victory for doing it.

“Leo!” Renet cried out.

“Pathetic. I thought you turtle creatures would offer me more sport.” Savanti raved.

Raph roared angrily and threw a sai at him, but it only hit the boned armor. Then Savanti only punched Raph away from him, making him go over the edge of the spire.

“Raph!” Mikey cried out. He looked over the edge.

Luckily, Randall had been in just the right spot. He had grabbed Raph’s hand, and he had taken his mind of concentrating on being invisible. His tail was wrapped around a large bone. Raph had his other sai out too.

Randall helped to pull him up so he could get a grip enough with the sai and then Mikey helped pull him up. “This guy is really ticking me off.”

Savanti picked up Leo, but then Don came up and whacked his hand, releasing Leo. Leo moved away. “Leo, we need to stop the spell.” Don said. Leo stood up again. “Savanti’s magic has to be channeled through the time scepter, to ignite the Ring of Fire. We have to take the scepter out of the equation!” Don exclaimed.

“You go! I’ll keep Savanti busy.” Leo agreed, and turned to fight Savanti.

Don ran to free Renet first. He hit the first chain. Renet whimpered, “Careful, Don. It’s totally a long way down.”

“Just hang on.” Don said and hit the second chain, getting her legs loose, but with her falling, making her scream in panic. “Stay there, Renet! I promise I’ll be right back!” he went over to start climbing toward the scepter.

“Don, hey! Where you going?” Renet asked. She wanted to be set free now.

Savanti just blasted a bolt in front of Leo to keep him away, but he noticed Don climbing toward the scepter. “Do you honestly think there’s any conceivable way that I’d let you take the time scepter? And the girl will be sacrificed!” Savanti ranted, then shot a blast up toward Don, making him fall backward.

Don cried out in fear as he fell, but he grabbed onto a bone.

Magic continued to swirl in the clouds.

“I don’t think so, bonehead.” Raph stated. He, Leo, and Mikey got around Savanti and continued to distract him.

Randall had slithered around on the side and helped to pull Don up. “You get the scepter, Randall, I’ll finish helping Renet.” Don ordered.

“I’ll need one of my tonfas.” Randall said. Don handed him one. He vanished and hid himself even though his tonfa was visible. He had to make sure Savanti didn’t see him.

The guys were still fighting Savanti pretty good. Leo got in a good kick that nearly sent him over the edge, but he tightened his grip on the bones with his armor claws. Savanti roared at the turtles angrily. “NO MORE GAMES!”

The three turtles charged him again. Savanti built up his power again, making him let out a blast that hit all three of them, making their bodies glow red, trying to harm them.

“You cannot stop me! I will destroy you and everything you’ve ever known!” Savanti laughed evilly and summoned more bone protection to him.

Behind him, Don helped Renet up by one of the chains. Randall started climbing the high neck part of the spire. Don whacked the last of the chains off of Renet’s wrists. She stood beside him for the moment.

“When I am done, there will be no evidence you ever existed!” Savanti kept on laughing.

Randall had reached the top and looked down. He bared his teeth angrily. “Savanti!” he yelled. It got Savanti’s attention up above. “Say goodbye to the time scepter, Demon!” Randall yelled, and with all his strength, plunged his tonfa down onto the bone neck, making it break and the scepter went falling downward.

“NOO!” Savanti yelled. He leaped into the air to save the scepter, but then, lightning flashed and Savanti got caught in the magical beam.

The flash was immense, blinding the turtles, Randall, and Renet, making them shield their eyes.

Savanti was blasted and then he fell, screaming into the water, along with the scepter. Randall had meant to grab it, but he had been too angry and wanted to save his friends.

“Ouch!” Mikey admitted sarcastically. The water bubbled like boiling water. It was obvious Savanti Romero was finished.

Then, Renet turned to Don, “Don, you saved me!” She also looked up at Randall as he came down from the neck. She also went and hugged him too. “Randall, you saved all of humanity! Most importantly, I’m gonna graduate! Yes!” Renet let of him, saying so excitedly and happily.

Randall and Don were happy to hear that, but then, there was a shaking.

“Now what?” Raph demanded.

“Romero’s power must have been holding this thing together. Everyone, off!” Leo ordered. They all began to run, but they didn’t get far.

The bones all crumbled into the water real fast. The six adventurers all either jumped into the water, or fell when the bones fell from under their feet. They all landed in the water. They began to swim for shore. They got away before all the bones were gone at least.

They all climbed ashore. Renet sank to her knees, exhausted. Mikey helped her up.

“Well, we saved the future. But that just means the asteroid will hit now.” Don explained. The others turned to him. “I don’t know when. Three weeks. Three months. Three years even. But it will hit.”

“And without the time scepter, we’re doomed.” Raph admitted. “Trapped and doomed. Nice.”

“Maybe there’s a chance we’ll still find it.” Mikey said.

“Well, we better start looking.” Randall said. “Because I don’t want to be here when that rock hits.”

Renet stayed on shore while the turtles went swimming in the water to see if they could find the scepter. Randall stayed with her. He had luckily held onto his tonfa when he fell. Don gave him his second one just in case of a dino coming by.

It was a little while, but when the turtles surfaced again, there had been no sign of the scepter. That was it then. They were truly stuck here.

If they were stuck here, they would have to find a way to survive here. The guys all knew the basics of outside survival from camping and living off the land at times. Randall had known it too, for real after being banished the first time. He had learned even more from the turtles.

They all later donned bones for armor and holding the supplies they carried. The turtles even added some new weapons. Renet also took her time travel clothes off and made some new ones to be more comfortable here too. It was rather warm here. The guys all saw that she had long, blonde hair underneath her head wear.

They even set about making a house for them to live in. But it wasn’t easy getting food.   
For food, they had to resort to killing some of the small dinosaurs and even learning to fish the giant fishes of the sea. And there were some fruits around too.

The plant eating dinos left them alone mostly, though sometimes Mikey would get a little arnry and try to tame them. Meat eaters were killed if they could help it, or fought and chased off. Or they would run and hide from the bigger ones.

But with Mikey’s taming of some plant eaters, even his brothers adopted a couple. Don took in a Apatosaurus, a long necked one. Leo adopted a Triceratops.

There were times that Leo and Don did cross lines with each others over ideas and survival strategies. Raph often found himself being a referee to them.

They all took turns fishing, but whoever caught an animal for dinner, it was still usually Mikey and Randall that did the cooking. Raph did sometimes too. None of the others could really cook well.

Here, Randall didn’t have to hide all that much, and he had donned some vines on himself as well, to at least carry his tonfas, but he still made sure not to let his skills in blending fade. He still practiced.

The turtles and Randall still practiced their ninja skills. Renet was always impressed. They had to keep strong in their fighting skills, to protect themselves against dinos here.

But if there was one thing for sure, they all knew this would be an adventure they wouldn’t forget, and it would be their last if they didn’t find the time scepter soon.

The turtles and Randall all missed their sensei and father and friends back home. Technology, movies. Vehicles, the New York noise. Renet missed her master and being a Timestress.   
…………..

It was now three months later, and they all had made a life to just trying to survive here in the late Cretaceous period.

It was Mikey and Renet’s turns for bringing home food tonight. Mikey had a spear that he thrust into the water when he spied a giant fish in the water. Once it was out, they carried it back to their newly made home.

Without electricity, they had to rely on campfires for lighting and cooking their food. They had built a house and even a table.

While waiting for dinner to arrive, Randall, Leo, and Don were sitting around the fire.

Looking up, Don pointed out a bright light in the sky. “That one there. That’s the asteroid. By my calculations, we still have maybe two, maybe three months before it hits.” Don said.

Leo and Randall looked down sadly. “I can’t believe this is how it ends.” Leo said. He got up. “I know we saved all of humanity, but to go out like this.”

“Who’s hungry?” Renet asked as they turned and saw Mikey and her carrying a large fish.

They were certainly hungry. Now to prepare it. Mikey took to preparing it by going to gut the fish first. They needed large enough animals to eat to feed all six of them. The other five sat around the campfire, waiting.

“And you’re sure there’s no way for you to contact Lord Simultaneous?” Randall asked.

“You’d think he’d come looking for you after three months.” Leo said.

“For like the bizillionth time, no! When are you going to give it a rest?!” Renet demanded seriously. She was tired of all the questions and demands of finding the scepter or if her master would come for her.

“Hey! I ain’t even getting started, Little Miss-” Raph started to say.

Mikey had just opened the fish’s belly to gut it, and he found something he thought he would never see again. “What? No way! I don’t believe it!” he said all too happily. “The time scepter!” He pulled the scepter out of the fish.

The others all got up at Mikey’s exclamation. This was a dream come true! They could now go home before the asteroid hit! Sad for the dinosaurs though, but it was meant to happen.

“It was inside the fish! It must have swallowed it.” Mikey declared, holding the scepter proudly.

The others were in shock, but glad. “Great! Now we can go home!” Renet cried out happily.

Mikey held up a hand, “Whoa there. Slow down. I’m just saying, we got dinner on the grill, no need to rush.” He had looked back at the fish, ready for eating it, but when he turned back to the others, they all had stern looks on their faces. Renet and Randall had their arms crossed with stern looks.

“Okay, I’m packed! Let’s go!” Mikey blurted. He didn’t want their wrath on him.

Mikey gave Renet the scepter so she could work her magic to make sure it was working. They were all more than willing to get out of here. They made sure to grab all their belongings from the future before proceeding further.   
…………..

In the present, April now was coming up to Master Splinter. “Master Splinter, you’re never gonna believe this, but-” she began, but he cut her off.

“Stop, please. It is probably better that I do not know.” Splinter declared. Then there was a bright, green light that flashed behind them. April looked to see what it was.

Out of the portal stepped all four turtles, Renet, and Randall. They were all looking way different than how she had seen them at the museum, with the vines and bone armor.

“I… but… you…” April stuttered in disbelief. “How?”

As Leo and Raph passed her, Don said, “April, it’s probably better you don’t know.” They all finally passed her, heading for their bedrooms first. Then for them all to have showers second, once they got all their armor and supplies off.

“See?” Splinter asked, going back to meditation.

April hmphed and crossed her arms, hating that she couldn’t be told. Maybe they would tell her later.

As for the time travelers, they were all more than happy to be home. It had been so long since they had been home. And even though Leonardo had been away to a far off land, he had been alone at the time. This time, at least he had gotten to take his brothers and Randall along for the ride.

“I’m gonna head back to April’s apartment.” Randall said. “I’ll clean myself up there.”

“It’s fine, Randall. Go on.” Leo agreed.

Randall left to go back to April’s.

They would go claim the Battle Shell later on after some rest and food, and getting cleaned up. None of them had had a decent shower in over three months.   
……………

April knew she wouldn’t get an explanation from the turtles. Maybe she could get one from Randall.

Renet got herself cleaned up and a meal first before she sent herself back to Null Time. She was looking forward to graduating.

April followed her lizard friend home at a distance. “So, Randall?”

Randall knew she was looking for what happened. “What happened to you guys?” April asked.

He sighed in relief. “We went on a wild trip to Dino World. That’s all I’m gonna say for now. Right now, I want a hot shower and a warm meal, one that didn’t have to be killed by me.” Randall declared. He had a hint of tiredness in his voice.

“I’ll be happy to give you a meal, Randall.” April said as they entered her basement. “You get cleaned up first.”

“I intend to.” he said.

April went upstairs while he went to his apartment and took his gear off. He went to the bathroom and got the shower running. When he got in, the water felt so good.

April began getting some food supplies ready for cooking once she was out of her coat.

Back at the lair, the turtles were all fighting over who got to use the shower first and next. Then it was decided that two at a time would use the shower so each turtle could also scrub the dirt off of another’s shell.

After all the showers, Mikey went to start dinner. They all were still hungry. They had just wanted to get home before the asteroid hit the Earth, and they had. Don now also had his right thigh wrapped in bandages again.

Splinter came in when the food was done. “I would like to know where you went, my sons, since you all came in looking different.”

“It’s quite a long story.” Don said.

“We have time.” Splinter replied.

The guys proceeded to tell it over dinner and afterwards.

“I’ll never take this time period’s food for granted again.” Raph said.

“I know I never took it for granted. I missed it terribly.” Mikey proclaimed.

“You would. You’re such a food fanatic.” Leo reminded him.

“We shouldn’t ever take anything for granted, but most of all, each other. Leo, I’m sorry for all the hard times I gave you over there.” Don confessed.

“I’m sorry too, Don.” Leo agreed.

“And how did Randall fare in the lands of dinosaurs?” Splinter asked.

“He did fairly well. He definitely knows how to take things seriously.” Leo replied.

“Yeah, more seriously than others do.” Raph looked at Mikey.

“What?” Mikey asked.

Mikey had taken some things seriously, but then, there were some things that were never taken seriously. His family didn’t mind him being goofy at the right time and place, but they just wished he would become more adult-like more often. Find some hobby to keep him occupied without driving everyone else crazy.   
………………

At April’s, Randall and her were enjoying a nice meal. Some pizza, chicken, and bread sticks, along with soda.

Randall had missed those things. He started off scarfing it down.

“Slow down, Randall. You could make yourself sick.” April said. “You’re eating like you haven’t eaten in weeks.”

“Sorry. I just missed this food. Eating dinosaur meat was not pleasant, and most of the time, it seemed like we ate fish. There was the occasional fruit too.” Randall explained.

“But the experience was educational?” she asked curiously.

“Yes. We got to see the real animals behind some of those bones at the museum.” he declared. “But we were glad to get rid of that bad guy that cursed those bones. What a maniac! But you missed the action.”

“I think I’m glad that I passed on it. Being in the wasp world adventure sounds similar, if a little different with the creatures.” April said.

“At least you weren’t there for three months. It could also get boring for someone who wants to be around mechanical things more. There was no technology to deal with whatsoever. We were mainly just living on primitive instincts to survive there. I know what it’s like, because I had to live like that when I was first banished to Louisiana.”

“I’ll never touch that artifact again. I’ve locked it up in a safe place. I don’t want anyone to get transported to the wasp world and get stuck there, because Don and I went to the lizard’s world where we got Uncle Augie back. In the wasp world, we destroyed the artifact.” April explained.

“Going on that time travel adventure was enough for me, but then, you’d think I would be used to dimensional travels, since when I used to be a scarer, it was going into another dimension every day, several times a day, but only for a few minutes. We never went beyond a kid’s bedroom, usually.” Randall said.

“Yeah, you would think. No one got hurt while they were there, right? I mean, Don had a leg injury.” April asked.

“He’s still got it too. When his bandages ran out, he had to keep it wrapped with leaves. He’s had that wound for a long time. It just isn’t healing. He’s also still had a constant cold. It won’t leave either.” Randall explained his concern.

“Now that you guys are back, we’ll try to get the injury healed.” April said.

“None of the rest of us never got more than bruises with scuffals with the dinos and fishes we had to kill to eat.” he said simply.

“That’s good to hear. We wouldn’t have been there to help.”

“Don called it the survival of the fittest in that world.”

“It’s that way in the wilds for the animals that live today too.” April said.

“Yeah, but you humans have no idea what it’s like to have to struggle for your meals when you can just simply go to the store to buy food. We had to deal with struggling to catch our food daily, like the animals.” Randall stated, a little upset.

“Randall, I may have money for myself to survive and afford my home, but you know who the Professor is and his friends? They are homeless people. There are humans like them that struggle to survive every day, and they have to dig in the dumpsters or steal because they don’t have jobs, or a place to live. You’re lucky that you’re living here with me. The turtles had to grow up living like that.” April retorted.

“I’m sorry I’m getting all upset. I’ve just been ready to be back here for so long, April. We all knew that we could have been wiped out with the dinosaurs when we went to that time period. The asteroid that killed the dinos was due to hit in a short amount of time.” Randall explained.

“I’m sorry too. That would have been scary to know that extinction was so close.” she agreed. April went over and hugged him. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks.” he said with a smile. He was happy to be home. He knew his friends were too. They weren't wanting to leave home for a long time.

 


	39. Tale of Master Yoshi and Adventures in Turtle-Sitting

For the longest time, while the turtles had been busy with taking care of the mutant animals in the sewers and on the streets, Yogami wanted something special. He wanted control of the Foot Mystics. He still had some garb from Karai’s ninjas. 

He had some of his own ninjas put on that gear and sneaked in and doing some hidden work, Yogami now had come to have the crystal that prevented the Mystics from escaping. 

Karai later on discovered this and she was pissed. She knew the Mystics were a force to be reckoned with. She would talk to them harshly, as that was what they respected more. But at least she wasn’t trying to make enemies with the turtles, unlike how her father had. She had a feeling who had taken the crystal: Yogami! 

Karai knew that Yogami had to be stopped before he destroyed something important. But if he destroyed the crystal, the Mystics would be free to do something truly evil. She had to get it back. She began to check on the Mystics periodically. 

In his own headquarters, Yogami had created his own special sanctuary for the Mystics. He summoned their power and they had no choice but to transfer to him. To them, he was just as much a fraud to be playing the role of the Shredder as Karai was, as well as her Utrom father.   
…………….

In Japan, the Ancient One had made his way to a special building. He went to talk to some individuals. Powerful ones. 

“I have come to vouch for the turtles.” Ancient One said. “You must not carry out your designs.” 

“You are too late, Ancient One.” A male with blue eyes said. He had a real deep voice. 

“We have decided.” A female with green eyes said. 

“We will judge the turtles’ fate. We will determine whether they will live…” Another male with white glowing eyes said. 

“Or how they will meet their end.” Blue eyes stated. 

The Ancient One bowed respectively to these masters. He knew he had to get to New York to warn Master Splinter and the turtles, and real soon that trouble could be heading their way.   
…………….

It was on the verge of being spring now. 

In the lair, now that they were back, the turtles all rested for a day, but then, got back to what they had always done. They were still getting work done on this new lair. It had been much more trashed when moving in than their other lair had been when Splinter had first found it. But, even when it was done, of course, the lair would always need to be cleaned and need upgrades no matter what. 

On this night, Mikey was the only one who was wanting to use the TV. Raph was vacuuming. Leo was wielding a pipe together. He had started taking an interest in helping Don more. Randall wasn’t down here tonight. He was just wanting to be in his own home. 

Don was trying to work on a circuit that was associated with the entertainment system, to make sure that it was going to function normally, when all of sudden, the lights all crashed.

“Donatello, are you alright?” Leo asked in concern. 

“I thought I was grounding that terminal, but instead, I shorted it out.” Don replied. “Sorry, Mikey, but I’m afraid the entertainment system isn’t going operational tonight.” he apologized. 

Splinter began lighting candles to give some light when it had gone out. 

“No! I need my TV time!” Mikey cried out. He ran and hugged the TV like it was his best friend. “I… I can’t go on without it. Somebody put me out of my misery!” Mikey leaned back, as if expecting it to kill him. 

“You mean our miseries, Mikey.” Raph stepped forward gladly, rubbing a fist into his other hand. “Don’t mind if I do.” Then he heard Splinter clear his throat and he tucked his hands behind his back, giving a nervous face. He knew he was busted. 

“That is enough work for today, my sons.” Splinter stated. He was proud of his sons for working so hard to make this lair their home. 

“But Master, what are going to do? No TV, no video games. How did people survive in such a nighmare world?” Mikey asked loudly. 

“Before TV and video games, people survived quite well, Michelangelo. Perhaps even better.” Splinter replied. “They told stories. I think we should do just that; tell stories.” he suggested.

Mikey fell backward in complaint, groaning. 

“Who wants to begin?” Splinter asked. 

Don quickly thought of an idea he had been wanting to hear for so long. “Hey, maybe Leo could tell us all about his time with the Ancient One?” Don suggested. 

“Yeah, Leo, let’s hear that.” Raph agreed. “I wanna hear all the new ways ya learned to kick butt!” 

Leo was glad his family wanted to hear it, but he had been taught so much in so little time, but then, he thought of something else. “I wouldn’t know where to begin, but the Ancient One told me a story that I think you guys would want to hear. About our master’s master, Hamato Yoshi.” 

“Well, let’s hear it.” Don encouraged Leo. 

Leo went on to tell them the story that they had never known about, and how Splinter had come to meet Hamato Yoshi, the Ancient One, a former best friend of Yoshi’s, and the love of Yoshi’s life. And how Yoshi had met the Guardians and the Utroms. 

They all found the story to be really fascinating. It had been good. Now they all knew more about Master Yoshi’s past that even their own father may not have known. There would be much more to tell. 

Over time though, Mikey got bored with it and went to go see Randall. He wished he had been there to hear Yoshi’s story at least. 

At least Randall had cable this night. Mikey even told him what Leo had told. Randall found it fascinating too. He was sure there were be more to learn from Leo. The story had had its purpose, to say that if Master Yoshi hadn’t found the Utroms, then there would have been no mutated turtles, Splinter, or Leatherhead.   
…………..

Out west, Agent Bishop and some associates had a metal body of sorts strapped down to a table. They had fished this out of New York’s East River. Now they had all the components together and were ready to bring it to life. The switch was pulled. Bishop was overseeing this personally. 

Electricity jolted forth for a moment and then it was turned off. The eye of the robot opened and looked around. A hand moved as well. The table was then lifted upwards to where it was almost standing face to face with Bishop. 

“Welcome back to the living, Dr. Stockman.” Bishop growled at Stockman’s body. 

“Where?… Dr. Stockman?” The robot asked, not knowing who he was.   
………………

The turtles still went out mutant hunting, and were pretty good at it. But lately, Don’s cold had been starting to get much worse than what it used to be, even in the dino world.   
Don began to feel more feverish and nauseated these days. He did fix their electricity before going to bed again. 

Don found himself resting in his bed a lot more because he just didn’t feel good. He was constantly sneezing and blowing his nose. 

The others were amazed that they hadn’t found themselves getting sick yet. It was at the point now where even Randall didn’t want to be around him because he feared he would get the cold too. It was warmer outside, in the 50s now during the day, but still a little chilly at night, in the 40s. And with the ending of winter, Randall’s birthday was coming up shortly too. 

Don had finally found a place for Stockman’s helicopter in the lair. He had been working on modifications to it before his cold had gotten as nasty as it had. Randall had been helping with it too. 

April told Randall she was going on a date with Casey tonight. If he stayed, he had to stay in the basement, or he could go to the lair. 

Randall really didn’t want to be around Don, but he would go and see about hanging out with one of the other turtles, maybe for a patrol or something. Ever since he had gotten back from the dino time travel, he hadn’t wanted to leave his home much. He had just wanted to stay there, but perhaps it was time he got out again. 

When Randall got to the lair, it almost seemed like everyone else was out of the lair. “Hello? Is anyone home?” he called out. 

“I am here, Randall. What brings you by?” Splinter came out of his room. He was getting ready to go watch his soaps. 

“Oh, just coming to see my friends. How’s Donatello doing?”

“He’s not doing very well, Randall. His illness is really bad. He should be in bed resting, but he insisted on going out with his brothers tonight.” Splinter said. 

“Let me guess: monster hunting?” Randall assumed. 

“Yes. I wonder how this issue can be fixed?” Splinter said. 

“I know Don has been working on something that could possibly cure it. He and I have been working with Leatherhead on it too.” Randall stated. “I’m gonna go through his notes to see if there are any updates.” 

“If you want to, you can watch TV with me.” Splinter invited. 

“Maybe later.” Randall said as he headed to Don’s lab. He knew Don could trust him not to ruin something in his lab like Mikey would, if not intentionally. 

Randall didn’t really see anything in the notes that seemed changed. He understood science sure, but human science wasn’t the same as monster science. He was still learning about the human world’s technology, and Don had introduced a good majority of it to him. Leatherhead understood more than he did. 

When he got tired of that, he went to work on the helicopter a little bit himself.   
…………..

At the apartment, April had just finished getting dressed for her date with Casey. Then she heard a knock at the door. “Coming.” she said. She was dressed like a biker girl, assuming they were going to biker clubs. 

When she answered the door, it was Casey, but what she saw was… different. “Whoa, Casey, look at you.” He had his hair pulled back in a ponytail, and he had a tux on. 

“Goon-gala.” he said in gooey cute way, then handed her the flowers he had bought for her. 

April giggled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” She took the flowers, with him following her inside and shutting the door. 

“Sheesh, April, that’s a good look for ya and all, but, aren’t ya going to get ready?” Casey asked. 

“I’ve been getting ready all afternoon. My hair took me two hours.” April replied. 

“And it’s an awesome look for ya, but I got us reservations at that swag joint you’re always talking about, Shas Bond.” Casey said. 

“I- I thought you wanted to go on romantic motorcycle ride and maybe hit a few biker clubs.” April stated. Then they had a little rambling going on, not sure what to say, which got them both laughing. 

“So, where’s Randall tonight?” Casey wanted to know. 

“I think he went to the lair.” April replied. Then there was a knock at the door. “Now who could that be?” she asked as went to get the door. She opened the door and three of the turtles stood there in their monster hunting gear. 

“Guys. Hey, this is… unexpected.” April greeted them. 

“Sorry, April. But we’re on our way to a possible outbreak at the power plant and…” Leo stated and stepped aside, letting a sick Donatello step forward. He sneezed, then put his right hand on the doorway, letting out a little whimper. 

“Whoa, Don. You look… greener than usual. A lot greener than usual.” April said. Don looked up at her and started to walk in, “I know.” His nose was really stuffed up, making his voice sound different. He held his stomach for a moment, indicating he was nauseated, then he blew his nose. “I picked up this little bug, and I haven’t been able to shake it.” He blew his nose again. “I was feeling alright, but I just can’t handle mutants right now.” Don explained. 

Mikey started patting him on head, “Did you figure that out before or after you barfed in the Battle Shell?” he asked sarcastically. 

“Mikey!” Raph hit Mikey upside the head. “Ow!” Mikey cried out. “Adults are talking. April, can you keep an eye on Donny for us?” Raph asked. 

Don sneezed some more and blew his nose again. 

“Of course, Don can stay here. We weren’t going anywhere anyway.” April said, putting her hands on his shell. Don smiled. 

Casey frowned. Once again, another date night ruined. “Bro, you are seriously cramping my lifestyle here.” he said to Don as April guided him to the couch. 

“Sorry.” Don replied. He didn’t feel good at all. 

“You guys have been on monster patrol for weeks. What’s the plan? Clean up all the mutants in Manhattan?” April asked. 

“Well, no. This outbreak is a lot more serious than four turtles can handle. We’re just trying to keep it from spreading.” Leo explained. 

“Well, go get ’em, guys. We’ll watch Don.” April complimented.

“Donny, take it easy, bro.” Leo smiled on his way out. Raph and Mikey went ahead. 

“Good luck.” Don managed to say before he started sneezing again. 

Casey and April looked at each other and April looked down at Don. Casey put a hand on his forehead in frustration. Another date ruined. Don whimpered up at them. 

“Come on, sickly mutant ninja turtle.” Casey said, picking up Don’s legs, making Don lie back on the couch. “Ya betta lie down before ya fall down.” He picked up a blanket and laid it over him. “There, comfy?” he asked. He still did care for Don and his turtle bros, but why did it have to be this night? 

Don nodded. He tried to get some sleep. 

The two humans walked away a few steps. “Why can’t Randall take care of him? We could still have our date if we get him back here.” Casey asked. 

“Casey, Don needs our help. Randall’s probably busy at the lair.” April said. 

“Call him. See if he can come back.” Casey urged. 

“Alright, if I can get him to come back. Only then will we go.” April said. She got out her shell cell and dialed Randall’s phone. 

Randall had left his phone on Don’s work table in the lab. He was welding on a new part on the copter at the moment and didn’t hear it. 

“He’s not answering.” April said. 

“Great.” Casey admitted. 

Don knew these two wanted to have a date, considering the way Casey was dressed. But they could be there for him in his time of need, like he was for them. It wasn’t too much to ask for. Most of the time, it was his family taking care of him. They could use a break too.   
…………..

The Battle Shell pulled up to the power plant. Leo, Raph, and Mikey got out and were ready to do battle with the mutant bugs that were there. Human guards and workers were fleeing the scene, so it would make it easier to work. 

“Mikey, you cover me on the left. Don, you cover me on the-” Leo began, but was interrupted by Mikey.

“Uh, Don’s home sick from school today, Leo.” Mikey reminded him. 

“Right. Raph, you cover me on the right.” Leo corrected himself. “And remember guys, just contain them. Do NOT splatter them.” he ordered. 

“We know the drill. We can’t have their cream feeling getting out and infecting other creatures. The last thing we need is more genetic rejects. I mean, we already got Mikey.” Raph stated. 

Mikey spit at him playfully. At least Mikey wasn’t one of these alien mixed freaked mutants. 

Leo went up against the first roach bug. It tried to pound him, while Leo kept dodging its claws. 

Raph threw some cuffs on a second one’s legs, tripping it up. Making it mad, it cut one of its legs off. Raph was too close and it grabbed him. It was ready to eat him. Raph struggled. 

“Don’t eat Raph! You don’t know where he’s been.” Mikey shouted, running up and kicking it in the face. It cried out and it backed up, releasing Raph. 

The roach backed into a power outlet. It exploded, sending the two turtles onto their shells. Raph pushed himself up, but the lights then went out. 

Mikey nervously laughed, “Heh, heh. Oops.” 

Raph realized what he had done, “Mikey, you blacked out the city!” 

Lights all over the city went out. Even at April’s. The guys had to keep on fighting the bugs. 

At April’s, April and Casey looked around at what was happening. What now? 

“Casey, grab the flashlight. In my room, on the dresser.” April said. 

Casey went to go get it. 

Don had noticed his leg had started hurting, the one that was and had been injured for several months now. His temperature started shooting up too. He let out a scream of pain. 

“AHH!” Don screamed. 

April felt Don’s forehead. “Donny, you’re burning up.” 

“The cut on my leg, it hurts- AH! Like shell all of sudden. Burning and-” Don tried to say, but there was a crash from the bedroom. 

“Oops! My bad!” Casey called out. He had knocked a lamp off the dresser, as he couldn’t see real good at the moment. 

“Sit tight, Don. I’ll be right back.” April said and went to help Casey. 

Don tried to, but then, the area where the cut was started changing, bulging out. It affected his other leg too, and it made him sit up more, placing his feet on the floor. His whole body started bulging out, changing. It was very painful. Don couldn’t help but voice his discomfort. His eyes also changed to glowing red. All of his gear was torn off of him. He shot up off the couch in a panic. 

In the bedroom, April now had the flashlight and they were looking at the lamp. “Sorry, April.” Casey said. 

“Casey. April.” They both heard Don saying their names. They went back out to check on him. His voice had sounded strained, like worse than before. 

There, in the living room, close to the table, was a different looking turtle, with red glowing eyes.

“Help me.” he said. 

“Don?” April asked in concern. She had also aimed the flashlight on the torn gear on her couch. She and Casey gasped. “Don? Is that- you?” she asked, getting nervous. 

“Stay- stay away from me!” Don pushed past them and ran for the door, pulling it off its hinges. He headed for the basement, hoping to keep his friends from finding him and not putting them at risk for whatever was happening to him. He quickly realized that what was happening to him was what had affected all those other creatures. Now he was one of them! He should have tried to find a cure sooner. 

April and Casey stopped at the door for a moment, wondering if they should follow. “What’s happening to Don?” April asked. 

“Are you sure that Randall’s gone?” Casey asked. 

“If he was in his room, he would have answered his phone.” 

“Try again.” Casey suggested. 

April tried again, and there was no answer. She hoped Randall wasn’t in trouble. Then she tried Splinter’s phone. He picked up. 

“Hello.” Splinter said. 

“Master Splinter, is Randall there at the lair with you?” April asked. 

“Yes, he’s working in Donatello’s lab.” Splinter said. 

“Has your electricity been affected?” she asked. 

“No. Donatello made sure our home’s electricity is on a different generator this time.” Splinter said. 

“Good. Master Splinter, we have something going on with Don. We’ll get back to you. Whatever happens, keep Randall there until we know for sure.” April ordered. 

“Yes, Ms. O’Neil. What’s going on?” Splinter asked. 

“We’ll find out.” April said. “We’re going to find Don.” Then she hung up. 

Splinter knew this was trouble. Donatello could be in real danger, given his current state of health. He went to alert Randall. 

He found the lizard working on the copter, doing what Don would have wanted him to do. Machines were his specialty. Splinter went over to Randall. 

“Randall?” Splinter said, getting a little startle from the lizard. He turned around and pulled the face helmet off his face. 

“What?! Oh, it’s you. What?” Randall snapped, then calmed down when he saw it was Splinter. 

“I just got a call from April. There is something wrong with Donatello. She said that you need to stay here with me until they find him.” Splinter said. 

“If he’s in trouble, they’ll need me.” Randall said. “Give me your phone.” 

Splinter gave him his phone. Randall dialed April’s number real quick. 

They were on the store floor and couldn’t find Don; there was one more place to look: the basement. Then the shell cell rang. 

“Hello?” April asked. 

“April, what’s going on?” Randall asked. 

“Don started changing, and he ran out of my apartment. Casey and I are trying to find him right now. It was scary. Randall, please stay there. I’ll tell his brothers when we find him. It’s better you stay there until you hear from us, okay?” April ordered. 

“Alright.” Randall agreed reluctantly. Then he hung up. 

“What’s going on?” Splinter asked. 

“She said he started changing? But she ordered me to stay here.” Randall replied. 

“She wouldn’t have asked you to without a good reason. Best do what she says this time.” the rat suggested. 

“I could be of more help over there.” 

“You could also be of help if they bring him home injured. Stay here, Randall. The electricity is out all over the city as it is.” Splinter explained. “You wouldn’t have none at April’s anyway.” 

“Great.” Randall mumbled. Now he knew he needed to stay here.   
……………..

April and Casey proceeded down to the basement when they couldn’t find Don on the ground floor. He might be more likely down here or headed for the sewers. They proceeded with caution. 

“Don, are you down here? Don?” April asked. “Donatello?” 

“Donny.” Casey added. 

“Don, are you alright?” April. 

“We just want to help ya, bro.” Casey. 

April saw the door to Randall’s apartment was open and she opened it. She pointed the light around the room. Lucky that Randall wasn’t here, because when she got to the far corner, there was a huge, giant monster! 

It looked nothing like Don. It was a darker green, with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. It growled at them. It shielded its eyes for moment. 

They couldn’t believe this could be their friend. “Don.” Casey said. 

The monster turtle roared at them and began to charge at them. 

“Whoa.” Casey admitted. April ran out of the room, and Casey was right behind her, closing the door shut. 

Monster Don broke right through the door, sending it into the wall.

“Go on, April! Run!” Casey ordered. He didn’t need to tell her twice. 

She was up the stairs. Monster Don roared and made a grab for one of Casey’s ankles. 

“He’s got me!” Casey yelled to April. 

April ran to her cleaning stuff and grabbed a broom. She ran back to help Casey. Casey was trying hard to keep a hold of the stairs. Then, April appeared. “Let him go!” she ordered and hit the monster turtle in the head with the broom. 

It made Monster Don let go of Casey. He laid there, shaking his head. 

April and Casey ran to the top of the staircase. “This is crazy!” April shouted. 

“What do we do?!” Casey asked, scared. 

“It’s Don, right? Try talking to him!” April suggested. 

“Talk to him, are you nuts? He’s a snarling, savage monster and you just whacked him in the face with a broom!” Casey scolded. He wasn’t sure what else to do either. 

“I’ll call the guys! They’ll know what to do!” April said in a scared tone. “I hope.” she ran ahead and gave Casey the broom. 

They both ran back upstairs. Don was right on Casey’s back. Casey blocked Don’s way. “Okay, Donny. Easy, pal. We’re still buds, right?” Casey asked, trying to negotiate. 

The monster seemed to be trying to think for a moment. That was the Don they knew, one who analyzed his thoughts. But he started advancing again. 

April got on her shell cell as quickly as possible. 

Don picked up the broom and threw Casey across the room, making land on and break the dining room table. 

Casey knew this wasn’t the Donny that he knew. He was charging again at him. “Alright, Goongala!” He went to face the monster.   
……………

At the power plant, the mutant bugs had Leo, Raph, and Mikey all cornered back to back. Now they were going to start bringing out the heavy artillary. 

Raph took out his pincher weapon. 

Leo started slicing one with his katana; on the second slice, it molted and got out of the old skin. Leo hated this. Then his phone started ringing. “This is not the time for a phone call.” he admitted. 

The roach then jumped at him, Leo placing his gun in its grip, making him go down. He reluctantly answered his phone. He saw it was April. “I kinda got my hands full here, April! Make it fast!” he ordered. 

“Leo! Help! A monster! Don!” April shouted into the phone, scared for her life as Monster Don was coming at her now. He had knocked Casey aside. 

Leonardo heard April’s absolute scream of terror on the line, then it went dead. “April? Are you there? April?!” Leo tried to get her to answer. “Now the line’s gone dead!” The roach knocked his phone away. 

“We’ve got to get back to April’s! There’s trouble!” Leo ordered his brothers. He kept the bug from smashing his head in, then he kicked it in the head and got his gun out of its grip, firing two tranquilizer darts into its underside. Then it fell to the ground, asleep. 

“Guys! Their undersides are weaker. Hit them there!” Leo shouted to his bros. 

Mikey charged his bug and slid underneath it, and he sent six darts into his bug’s belly. “Say goodnight, Scrubby!” 

The roach started to vomit and it fell asleep in its own vomit. 

The third roach headed for Raph. He used the pincher arms to keep the roach at bay and knocked it over. Then he jumped on it with three darts ready. He jabbed them into the roach’s body. 

That was over now. They stood there, panting for a moment. 

“Let’s move! We’ve got to get back to April’s to save Donny and April!” Mikey called out. 

“And Casey.” Leo added. 

“Oh, right. Casey too.” Mikey corrected himself. 

At April’s, April whimpered as Don came toward her. Casey got up and rubbed his head. 

“Casey!” April cried out in fear. 

Casey saw it and he ran for the vacuum cleaner. “Dude, that my girlfriend! And you can’t have her!” He ran with it over to Monster Don and smashed it over his shell. 

The dust was blinding, but it stopped Don for the moment. Just long enough for Casey to grab April and pull her out of the room and downstairs again. They couldn’t let him get to the streets. 

Don followed them back down to the basement.   
……………

The turtles got the Battle Shell back to the sewers and were on their way to April’s. 

Raph drove this time. Leo called up Randall. He hoped he wasn’t in trouble. 

Randall picked up his phone this time. “Yes?” 

“Randall, where are you?” Leo asked. 

“At the lair. April said to stay here until I hear from her. Why?” Randall asked. “What’s going on?” 

“There’s a monster at April’s, one of those mutants. Yes, stay there, Randall.” Leo ordered. “We’re almost to April’s now. Leo out!” 

They all wanted to know what the shell was going on.   
…………….

April and Casey had made it back to the basement and Monster Don was walking on four legs at them. Then he stood up on his hind legs and roared at them. 

“April, stand behind me.” Casey ordered. She got behind him. “When he goes for me, run! Run and don’t look back!” he ordered her. 

Casey got a hold of Don’s hands, trying to keep him at bay. “Now, April! Run!” he ordered. 

April wasn’t sure she should run, or stay.   
………….

At Bishop’s lab, Stockman was finally sitting up. “I don’t understand. What’s happening? What have you done to me?” Stockman asked. 

“I had your brain recovered from the bottom of New York’s East River, due to your misguided symbaticle.” Bishop explained furiously. “While I could do without your personality, I do need your brain. The outbreak is getting worse by the minute, and I’m gonna expect you to use that powerful mind of yours to clean it up.” 

Stockman tried to stand up, but fell down. “I can’t believe you brought me back like this. Why couldn’t you finally allow me to rest in peace? Whyyyyyy?!” he yelled angrily.  
……………..

April still couldn’t move. Her only other way out was the sewers at the moment. Don’s size was humongous. 

“April, I told ya to go!” Casey shouted to her. Then Don picked him up by the shirt. “Donny, no!” 

April wasn’t going to let Casey get hurt if she could help it. She saw Don slam Casey into the wall. She ran up to try to pull Casey free. “Donatello! Let him go!” 

Out in the sewers, Don’s brothers had gotten there and Raph got in first. “Whoa! More freaky monsters?! Didn’t you hear what the lady said?” He mocked the monster before hitting it square in the head, knocking it back. 

Leo and Mikey ran up behind Raph, ready to fight. “You guys alright?” Mikey asked. 

The monster roared at Raph. 

“What the shell is that?” Raph asked, never seeing one like this before. 

Monster Don then pounced on Raph. He held him down until Leo leaped onto him, knocking him off enough just so Raph could get loose. 

Don looked at the enemies around himself, or that he had deemed because of what he was now. He turned and ran into the sewers, having had enough fighting. 

The guys ran after him, but stopped at the basement wall. They heard a roar at the end. “What was that thing?” Leo demanded. 

“And where’s Don?” Raph asked. 

“Did that monster get Don?!” Mikey asked fearfully. 

“That monster is Don!” April declared. 

“Say WHAT?!” Mikey exclaimed. 

“That thing you just fought is Don.” April said it again. 

The others couldn’t believe it! Mike and Raph gasped in shock. Leo didn’t like this either. 

April and Casey took them upstairs to see Don’s gear around the couch, all torn up. They picked it up. 

Leo knew they would need help with this. Leatherhead was their next best hope. Leo drove the Battle Shell to Leatherhead’s home, where April then took the wheel. She would track down Don’s movements.   
……………

Leatherhead was shocked that his friend, Donatello had been changed into one of these savage monsters. He took the bandage sample that Don had been wearing and examined the DNA under his microscope in his lab area. 

LH wore a white lab coat when he was in scientist mode in his own home. His three turtle friends were waiting anxiously for results. What caused this? 

“So, anything you can tell us, Leatherhead?” Leo asked. 

“Fascinating. The tissue sample from Donatello’s bandage contains the same DNA that’s found in the same alien creatures that you have been battling of late.” Leatherhead explained what he was seeing. 

“You mean, Don’s been affected by the outbreak mutagen?!” Leo exclaimed. 

“Yes.” LH replied. He looked back at the turtles, “In Donatello’s case, it’s caused a secondary mutation in his already mutated DNA. What I don’t understand is, how this agent was introduced into Donatello’s bloodstream?” 

“I think I know.” Leo replied. “Remember when we fought those cockroaches when the outbreak first began? That’s it! Don got a nasty gash when were fighting those roaches.”

They did remember that part. 

Leatherhead turned to them. “I regret to say, I… I cannot cure him.” 

“WHAT?!” Mikey exclaimed. “NO!” 

“I am going to take Bishop and ram my foot so far down his-” Raph growled angrily. 

“Easy, Raph. We’ll find a cure. But first, we’ve got to capture Don, before he hurts himself, or anyone else for that matter.” Leo said. 

“And just how are we going to capture a 300 pound killer turtle?” Raph demanded. 

Leatherhead walked around them to something that was covered with a brown sheet. He pulled the sheet off, revealing a surprise. “As you know, Donatello, Randall, and I have been working together; developing ways to neutralize Bishop’s mutant threat. We engineered this containment unit to incarcerate and study larger mutations.” Then he laid a hand on it. “I made this with Randall and Donatello. I never imagined we would be using it on Donatello.” LH explained. 

Right now, this containment unit was their best hope of capturing Don before he did anymore harm. 

Leatherhead was going to be in on their help now. He attached a harness to it and carried it while following Don’s brothers. 

Leo’s phone started ringing and he picked up. “Leo, it’s April. The motion tracker is picking up an underground signal. It’s the right size to be Donatello.” April declared. “It looks like it’s heading for Central Park. It looks like he’s making his way to your new home!” 

Leo knew Splinter and Randall were at risk of being under attack if they didn’t get Don caught soon. “Don’s headed for the lair. Come on!” He and his bros and LH ran to catch up. It was slower for the big croc with the cage on his back.

April also called Splinter and Randall to give them a heads up that Don was getting closer to the lair. 

Randall knew he could seek higher places, but could Splinter? He would make sure that he did if it came to it. 

Soon, they got closer to the lair. Leo was using his motion tracker now. “We’re coming up on the lair. And Don’s close. Really close.” Leo declared. “Someone will need to lure him to us while we set up the containment unit.” 

LH, Raph, and Leo instantly looked at Mikey. Mikey’s face instantly changed to a fearful one. He gulped. ‘Why does everyone automatically look at me?’ he asked himself. 

Mikey went on ahead to do what was required of him. He had his weapon ready just in case. The others got the unit set up. 

He got further away and called out, “Oh, ugly version of my beloved brother, Donatello, where are you?” He heard a roar down the tunnel. “Donny?” 

Then, the monster turtle came around the corner and saw Mikey up ahead. He gave chase, and Mikey ran for all he had. He jumped through a hole in the floor. He didn’t see Don for the moment. It made him investigate. 

But then, Monster Don burst up through the hole too! Mikey screamed and ran toward the unit. 

Of course, Mikey was chosen for his ways of making noise. Don caught up to him and punched him down. But he got up and grabbed a hold of the unit. 

Don started to throw punches towards Mikey’s middle and the youngest turtle kept swinging his body to avoid the blows. “Now I know how a pinata feels!” he declared. “And I don’t like it! Don, come on, quit it!” Leo and Raph were behind the cage. “A little help here, guys?” Mikey asked of them. 

“Whoa, Mama! Don’s been taking his vitamins!” Raph exclaimed. 

Don finally struck Mikey’s stomach, knocking him off the cage and past his brothers. 

Raph took him on next with his pincher weapon. “I’m really sorry about this, Donny.” He took some swipes at him. 

Leo jumped in front of the cage. “Remember, this is Don. Do not hurt him!” he ordered. 

Raph dodged Don as he tried to bite his head off, “That’s not gonna be a problem, Leo!” he yelled at Leo. 

Leo jumped in and gave a side kick, then Raph jumped up and kicked him on the back of the shell, making him go down. Leo tripped his feet out from under him. 

“Leatherhead, you’re on!” Leo announced to the croc. 

LH jumped up another hole and ran to get a hold of the mutated Donatello. He was nearly his size now. He roared as he got a hold of him. Don tried to bite at him, but he pushed on Don’s shell and eventually, into the cage. Mike and Leo shut the door real fast behind him, the unit making a sound that it was now locked in place.

Monster Don immediately started pounding on the wall of the cage, trying to break out. 

The three turtles and Leatherhead were beside themselves with grief. This never should have happened to their brother. 

Leatherhead’s place was closer. They took him back to the croc’s home. Now that Don was captured, Splinter and Randall were called, telling them it was safe now. If they wanted to see Don, what had become of him, they could come to Leatherhead’s. 

They did just that. When they saw him, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. This couldn’t be Donatello! 

“Are you sure that’s him?” Randall asked. 

“Yes, we are.” April replied. “Casey and I saw him start to change ourselves.” 

Splinter went up to the cage and laid his hand on it. “My son.” He looked down sadly. 

Randall kept his distance. He saw that this Don was almost twice the size of Leatherhead even. Would the croc even be able to hold him should he get out again? But Randall was sure this cage would hold him, since it had been designed by all three of them. Most of their experimental projects had always been successes. If only now, there was a cure. 

“I can sympathize.” Leatherhead said. “I know what’s it’s like, to be a monster.” 

“So do I.” Randall added. He rubbed his arms together. He feared what he would find at home at the apartment, the mess that would no doubt be there. But he also feared for Don. 

Don was the smartest one of them all. He came up with the most brilliant ways to fix problems, and especially to something like this. But Don had been training him well. Now it was up to him and Leatherhead. 

“Poor Donny.” Raph came up and placed a hand on Splinter’s shoulder. 

“What are we going to do, Leo?” Mikey asked in desperation, hoping his eldest brother, as leader, had an answer. 

“Do? This is Donatello. This is our brother.” Leo walked up to the cage next, placing a hand on it too. “We’re going to hunt down a cure. No matter what it takes. No matter what it takes!” Leo proclaimed. 

“We want Don back to himself too.” Casey said. 

Randall then walked up to the cage. “I’ll help in any way I can, Don. You’re like a brother to me too. One of the four I never had.” 

None of them wanted to face the fact that Donatello could be lost to them. Or that he would die. They would be lost without him. There was a part of him that held them all together. 

To April, Don was her best friend, aside from Casey, but Don was the one that understood her more. They could use scientific language and understand one another. Randall understood a little of it, as did Leatherhead. But none of the others could understand quite as much since their minds weren’t science whizs, so to speak. 

Master Splinter and Leo wanted Don in their home. That was where all of Don’s supplies were. If there was a cure or supplies there, it would be likely there. 

Leatherhead hauled the cage with Don to the turtles’ lair. Randall stayed this time to offer his support and to get what was needed. LH would stay too. The two of them would be looking for a cure. 

April and Casey went back to the apartment to start cleaning it up, electricity, or no electricity. But they would be on call when their friends needed them.


	40. Good Genes Part 1

Out west, at Bishop’s hideout, he was disappointed that Stockman’s progress for a cure for the outbreak was a disaster. He was staring at the man roach in a containment unit full of fluid. 

“This is unacceptable, Doctor. The progress is lacking. The situation in the city is getting worse, and it’s keeping my attention away from my work.” Bishop stated furiously. 

“Your work? Please!” Stockman said sarcastically. “The original outbreak virus was an unintended side effect of the genetic accelerant I created for you. There are too many variables. I’m testing dozens of retro-viruses.” he explained. 

Then there was a beeping and a video screen popped up with one of Bishop’s associates. “Pardon the interruption, Sir. There’s a transmission coming in. We can’t trace the signal.” he said. 

“What kind of signal?” Bishop asked. 

“We’ve never seen anything like it. It’s coming in on a dedicated frequency. Sir, they want to talk to you.” 

“I’ll take it in the Comm Room.” Bishop replied. 

Bishop went to talk to this mysterious caller. He called in his special password and a video screen popped up, with a ghostly figure appearing on it. “Greetings, Agent Bishop.”

“How did you get access to this frequency?” Bishop demanded. “How do you know my name?” 

“We have been watching you, John Bishop. We know of your abduction by aliens so long ago. We know all.” The ghost figure explained. 

Bishop was astounded he knew about his secret. Not even the turtles knew about that. “Who are you?” he demanded. 

“You watch the skies night after night for your little green men.”

“Little grey men, actually.” Bishop corrected him. 

“Futially gathering all the technology you can to stave off invasion, but right under your nose is everything you need. Information that would set you centuries ahead in your work.” 

“And I’m to believe you’re just going to give me this information?” Bishop asked. 

“No, but I can help you get it, for a price.” The ghost man proclaimed. “It will be worth it. There is an ancient gemstone encoded with thousands of intricate designs coded with advanced alien technology, and I believe you’re familiar with the organization that holds it; they’re called the Dark Dragons.” 

Bishop glanced up at that. He knew they were a branch off of the Foot ninjas that had once worked with the Foot clan.   
……………

In New York, down in the lair, Leo watched Raph punching his bag, then he looked back at Leatherhead and Randall, who also looked back at him. They were all hearing the roaring that was coming from the containment unit that held the giant Monster Donatello. 

Raph finally stopped attacking the bag to take a break. 

Mikey was serving up a tray of breakfast food. He winced at the roaring. He glanced over at Don. Leo was watching him too. They were all worried about him, and what was going to become of him. 

As Randall and Leatherhead had been studying Don’s results, it was a worrying sign. 

Splinter came up and put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Do not despair, my son. Where there is life, there is hope.” He assured his oldest. 

“I keep turning to ask Don what we’re gonna do, see what brilliant cure he’s worked up to fix this, then I remember, that is Don.” Leo responded. 

“We too wish to consort with Donatello regarding his condition.” Leatherhead spoke up. 

“He did the majority of the work on the outbreak virus.” Randall added. 

“Without him, I’m afraid our progress is too slow.” LH explained. “Donatello’s condition grows worse by the minute. The outbreak strain is reacting violently with the Utrom mutagen in his blood. His cells are breaking down. It’s only a matter of time before he is lost forever.” 

“That’s not going to happen!” Leo exclaimed, his hands clenched into fists. “We can’t let that happen!” LH, Randall, and Splinter turned to him. 

“Every problem has a solution. Every question, an answer. Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions. Donatello told me that this outbreak was artificial, that Agent Bishop created it.” Splinter explained. 

“And if Bishop created it…” Randall began. 

“Maybe, he can uncreate it.” Leo finished the sentence. 

“Bishop is a dangerous man, Leonardo.” Leatherhead warned. 

“I know, but we may not have much choice. Especially if Donny’s running out of time.” Leo assured the croc. 

Over in the cage, Monster Don seemed to have tired himself out and he crashed to the floor, looking like he had fallen asleep where he sat. 

Mikey approached the cage carefully with the tray of cereal and milk and orange juice. He set the tray down and put a hand on the cage. “Rest easy, Don. We’re going to find a way to help you.” Then he picked up a remote that opened a hole in the bottom. 

Monster Don saw this as an opportunity. 

Mikey put the tray into the hole, “It’s your favorite, Donny. When you wake up, you can-” he was cut off as Don knocked the tray and food aside. Don roared at Mikey angrily, then he reached out and grabbed his left leg. Mikey screamed in terror. 

Mikey tried to free his leg from Don’s tight grip on his leg. He tried to keep his balance. “Donny, let go! Raph, help!” he cried to Raph, as he was close by. 

“Hang on, bro!” Raph came and grabbed onto him. 

The others were alerted to what was happening. “Donny! Let go!” Leo cried out, running over. He leaned on the cage, “Let him go!” 

Monster Don glared at Leo, then he heard his name, “Donatello! Hear my voice, my son. Do not let yourself be lost within this form. Hear my voice. You do not want to hurt your brother. Relax, let go.” Splinter tried to make a connection to Don’s mind. “Let go, my son. That’s it.” 

When Leatherhead and Randall came over as well, Randall added his weight too in pulling on Mikey to get Don to let go. LH went over and pulled the lever that started releasing some gas into the tank. 

The gas got Don off guard just enough for him to finally let go of Mikey’s leg, making both turtles and the lizard go tussling a few feet. 

Just as they were hoping Don would be going to sleep, he came out of it to try to get to them. “He’s becoming resistant to the gas. I will have to work on stronger tranquilizers.” Leatherhead declared. 

Mikey, Raph, and Randall were all rubbing their heads. They all wondered why Mikey had even gotten caught in the first place. 

“I just… wanted to give him some food.” Mikey explained. 

“As much as you want to help him, maybe it’s better that you don’t feed him, given how dangerous he is.” Randall suggested. 

Don continued roaring inside the cage. 

“That settles it! We’re going after Bishop! We’ll make him help Don!” Leo exclaimed angrily. He couldn’t take this anymore. 

“And how exactly are gonna find him?” Raph asked. “Last time I checked, he wasn’t exactly listed in the yellow pages.” 

“I know where he is!” Leatherhead growled. “Remember? He held me for weeks, torturing me! I vowed to catch up with him one day and even the score! But the journey is long. I fear Donatello doesn’t have that much time.” 

Randall was another that understood how dangerous Bishop was too. He had taken some of his torture too. He would love to even the score as well. The turtles and Splinter had as well, if slightly less than Randall and LH had. 

Leo rubbed his chin for a moment. “Hmm, maybe Donny can help us with that!” he stated proudly. 

They all walked over to the area where Don had parked the new helicopter. Randall had been helping with it too. “This was the last thing Don was working on before…” Their faces all saddened. “Before.” Leo finished. 

Randall turned on the light switch. 

“He completely overhauled Stockman’s helicopter. It should get us to where we need to go fast enough.” Leo stated. “Leatherhead, go get Donny. Randall, can you make sure all the proper modifications are in place?” he asked Randall. 

“Yes, I can do that.” Randall replied. He went over to the helicopter to examine it. 

By the time Leatherhead had brought the cage with Don in it, Randall declared it was ready. “Everything’s up and working perfectly. I even added fuel to it a few days ago. It’s full.” 

“Good. Let’s go.” Leo ordered. 

Mikey called April and told her that they were all going after Bishop to get help for Don. They would be back, but should they need help, that they should be on standby. 

April wished them luck and hoped they could get Don cured. She then asked, “Is Randall going too?” 

“Yes, he is. We might need his help.” Mikey said. 

“Be careful.” she said. 

Leo and Raph got into the pilot and co-pilot seats. LH brought Don on board. Splinter and Randall took seats in the back, as did Mikey. Leatherhead also brought his laptop to monitor Don’s condition on it. 

Leo brought the copter up out of the water in the pond in the park. It was so awesome the way Don had designed it to come up out of the water. They were off to find the evil Agent Bishop. 

Randall was a little uncertain about the flying part about to come. He had never really ridden in one of these before. “Didn’t Don say you guys had another helicopter stolen from the Foot a while back?” he asked. 

“Yeah, he did. It’s in the junkyard where the Professor stays, well, one of them.” Mikey replied. 

For Randall, so far, the flight seemed pretty smooth. It was just a new sensation he would have to get used to. Ascending hadn’t been a problem. He just hoped his stomach could handle it all the way to wherever they were going.   
…………..

Karai was certain she would find whoever had stolen the Foot Mystics’ gemstone and make them pay dearly for stealing it. 

Yogami was proud to have stolen it. Now the Mystics were in his power. He was really wanting the Mystics to find the turtles, but most of all, Leonardo. 

The Mystics sure hated the younger generations that made them serve them for their own greedy reasons, but then, the Mystics were no different.   
……………

Halfway across the US, the copter had to land and get some more fuel put into it. Randall snuck into a gas station and got some. He had watched Don numerous times on how to put fuel into his vehicles and into a gas container. He put some in two containers. Raph was with him, hidden from view, but he helped to get it back to the copter. Then they continued on the way. 

Leatherhead kept a constant watch on Don. He kept a watch on his blood pressure and temperature. 

They flew the rest of the night. It was five in the morning when they were nearing their destination. Randall had handled the flight pretty well.   
……………..

In his hideout, Bishop and his commandos saw the helicopter approaching on their radar. It was the one that Stockman had taken awhile back on his misguided trip. They didn’t know who it could be, but the agency shut down to make it look abandoned to just see who it was.   
……………..

“This is it. Groom Lake, Nevada.” Leo declared. “Prep for landing.” he said to Raph and the others. 

Descending was okay, but not nearly as fun as ascending. 

“Wait. Groom Lake, as in… Area 51?” Mikey asked fearfully. 

“Take it easy, Laughing Boy.” Raph stated. 

“What’s wrong with this area?” Randall asked. The copter was now on the ground. 

“We’ll show you.” Mikey said. 

Randall followed the three turtles to a hillside and peaked over it. “Eep! Area 51.” Mikey said in fear. The place looked so quiet from out here. 

The turtles and Randall ran back to the copter. “This can’t be right. Maybe we took a wrong turn, at Albuquerque?” 

Randall still didn’t get it. 

“This is where Bishop’s base is located.” Leatherhead was sure. 

“But Area 51? All those crazy stories. It’s the heart of darkness! UFO central! The Nexus of Weirdness!” Mikey exclaimed fearfully, waving his fingers about. 

Now Randall was beginning to understand. He had heard a few of the stories before on TV. 

“Then you’ll fit right in.” Raph smiled. 

“Weird or not, we’re going in there. Straight infiltration! Raph, Mikey, and I will sneak in and get Bishop. Leatherhead, Randall, and Splinter will stay with Don, just in case. Once we have Bishop, we’ll convince him to help Don.” Leo ordered and explained the goal. 

“Leatherhead, Randall, and I can handle that part of the plan. We can be very convincing.” Raph put his right fist into his left hand. 

“I long to get even with that maniac for what he did to me too.” Randall declared, baring his sharp teeth.

“No mistakes. This is a military base. Special Ops, Bishop’s turf. Be ready for anything.” Leo warned the others. 

The three turtles ran over to the fence line to get into the facilities. Their father and two friends waited back at the copter, making sure Don was alright. They would await the signal. 

Jumping up and over the fence, Leo sliced the top wires with his katana to make sure his brothers didn’t get caught in it. They all landed on the other side without hurting themselves. They just hoped they would stay that way. 

“Split up and search the perimeter. Let’s see what we’re up against.” Leo ordered. He and his bros split up. 

Leo ran and jumped over another fence, close to a building. He saw the door was open. “Guys!” he called Raph and Mikey to him. 

“Okay, you got me. I wasn’t expecting this. The place is deserted.” Mikey exclaimed in a low voice. 

Leo wasn’t so sure about that. He gestured for them to follow him inside. 

“I’m telling ya, Area 51 is bad news. Aliens check in, but they don’t check out.” Mikey explained. 

“Stifle it, Mikey! I’m warning ya.” Raph growled at him. He and Mike followed Leo until he stopped in the middle of the floor. There was a shape in the darkness. 

There was a sound, and a light came on, illuminating a man in black. “Bishop!” Leo exclaimed. 

Bishop smiled evilly. 

The three turtles all took their weapons out, bracing for a fight. 

“Welcome, Turtles. I must say, I’m surprised to see you. We don’t get a lot of guests here.” Bishop said. 

“I knew this was too easy!” Raph said lowly. “You think they saw the copter?” 

“It’s Area 51! They probably have a UFO watching it from space!” Mikey declared. 

“Not exactly, Michelangelo. We detected the helicopter as it approached because it’s my helicopter. Dr. Stockman took it to New York,” Stockman came forward, in a new look, “on his ill-fated trip.” Bishop explained. 

“Stockman? Still alive?! I thought we were done with you for good!” Raph exclaimed to Stockman. 

“Oh, I wish. But Agent Bishop didn’t see fit to let me rest in peace.” Stockman retorted. 

“Enough chit chat. What brings you turtles to my house?” Bishop asked. 

“There’s been an outbreak in New York, caused by your alien invasion force!” Leo exclaimed. 

“I’m… familiar with the situation in New York.” Bishop replied. 

“Don got infected. He’s been transformed into…” Leo closed his eyes sadly. “Into a monster!”

Stockman laughed maniacally. “Oh, that’s rich! So much for the smart one.” 

Bishop peeled his glasses down for a moment. “Perhaps we can be of aid to one another. What if I told you, I could cure your brother?” he stated. 

“Why would you help us?” Leo demanded. 

“I would help your brother because I require something from you, in exchange.” Bishop declared. 

“There is no way we should make a deal with this guy.” Raph exclaimed angrily. 

“Don’s in trouble because of Bishop, and he tried to dissect us, remember?!” Mikey shouted at Raph. 

The turtles had planned on this. “It may be a deal with the devil, but, what choice do we have?” Leo stated. 

Bishop smiled. 

The three turtles went back to the copter and told the other three that it was time. Leo flew the copter closer to the building, where there were commandos waiting to bring Donatello into their facilities. 

All of Don’s family went with him. There was a light being shown on them as they were all escorted inside. Randall had vanished. He didn’t want to be seen, but he was there with them. 

Don’s cage was a platform that floated. He still wasn’t happy being caged up, but no one had any intention to let him run loose until he was cured. 

They all finished walking inside to where there was a big round, blue ball orb containment unit. Bishop was up on a balcony, overseeing what was going on. Leatherhead looked up and saw him. 

“You!” The croc growled. He was ready to attack him, but his friends held him back.

“Easy, Leatherhead.” Leo said. “Remember why we’re here.” 

LH growled, but calmed down. Even Randall held still. He didn’t like being this close to commandos, after what they had done to him months ago, nearly costing him his life. 

“Where did you get this pathetic containment unit? In a junkyard?! Amateurs!” Stockman spoke sarcastically. 

Showed what he knew. That cage had managed to keep Don contained without it breaking so far. “Ready the cell for transfer!” Stockman ordered. 

Four commandos carried the platform with Don on it closer to the blue cell. The mutants and Randall moved out of the way, but watched every move. 

“Doctor, is this transfer necessary?” Bishop asked. 

“It is if you want more than his blood pressure and temperature.” Stockman replied. “Now open that hunk of junk!” he ordered a commando. 

A commando hit some buttons on the cage’s keyboard and a purple cage hologram appeared. Then the door to Don’s cage opened. He hesitated, then stepped out. It was his first time out since he was first captured. 

The commandos tried to move him along with some tazers. 

Monster Don didn’t like their methods and he fought back. He knocked the first two down, and went to deal with the other two. 

Don’s family and two friends knew this had been a bad idea. 

“Stockman!” Bishop shouted. 

“Don, don’t.” Mikey said. 

Don pulled the door off the blue cell like it was glass. He threw it at his family, but it hit Leatherhead in the stomach, making go flying back into a wall, winded. 

“Oh, crud.” Raph stated. 

“This is just great!” Randall decreed. 

“Good one, Stockman!” Mikey retorted. 

Don then picked up the cage door again and he advanced on Stockman. “No, stop!” Stockman cried out. He got a face full of the door, knocking him away. 

The four commandos standing by started shooting. Don put the glass in front of himself as a shield. 

“No! No shooting!” Leo demanded, but the humans weren’t listening. 

Don started attacking the commandos. More tried to subdue him. 

“Reinforcements, immediately!” Bishop ordered. Then he jumped down and removed his coat, revealing robotic armor. “Subdue the beast!” 

“Don! Hang on!” Raph shouted. He and his bros and Randall flew into action. 

Raph grabbed onto Don’s right arm, while Mikey grabbed hold of Don’s neck, trying to get him to release the commandos. 

Randall and Leo kicked and whacked away commandos to keep them from firing at Don. Randall also tripped some with his tail. 

“Donatello, please. Be calm, my son.” Splinter tried reasoning with his smart son. 

But the monster was ready to pound him. Leo jumped in the way and rescued his father just before Don’s fists came down on him. “Sorry, Father, but I don’t think that was going to work a second time.” Leo said. They looked back at Don. 

Don was ready to advance on them again when a gas grenade was thrown in his face, blinding him and making him go down. 

“NO, BISHOP! DON’T HURT HIM!” Leo yelled at the man. 

“If your brother cannot be contained, then he will be put down!” Bishop yelled back. A cannon appeared on his left wrist. 

The others couldn’t let that happen. Don was on his hands and knees, struggling to breathe for a moment. Raph and Mikey were still down. 

“I had hoped we could do business together, but it seems I was wrong.” Bishop decreed. He had his cannon aimed on Don’s head. Randall, Leo, and Splinter were all angry that this was happening. 

Just as Bishop tried to take aim, Leatherhead jumped forward with a roar of his own. He knocked the man away from Don and onto his back. He grabbed Bishop’s arm with the guns. “You will not touch my friend! If he must be subdued, then I will do it. Not you, fiend!” LH exclaimed. 

Leatherhead then went head to head with Monster Don once again. “Leonardo! Get the tranquilizers!” LH managed to shout to Leo before he and Don rolled down a shaft. 

Stockman and Bishop ran toward the shaft. “This is Bishop to commandos! Send in two more squads! Lethal force is authorized!” Bishop ordered on the intercom. 

“STOP! Just give me five minutes!” Leo demanded. 

“You have two.” Bishop said. 

“Randall! With me!” Leo ordered and he and the lizard ran out of the building to the copter. 

They got the guns full of tranqs that they used on other monsters. They had to hurry. 

Don and LH finally came to the bottom of the shaft, and LH struck Don with his tail, sending him through a wall. The croc jumped on his back, but Don proved to be much stronger and he got LH off of him and threw him overhead to a torture lab area. 

Leatherhead realized where he was, remembering all the cruel tortures he had endured before. “No! Not this place! Not again!” He looked at the devices in fear. He fell to his knees sadly. 

Monster Don them came up, ready to get him again. He stopped by him and he was about to pound his fists down on him when a dart came out of nowhere, piercing him beneath his arm. 

Leo had fired the first shot. Randall was beside him, visible. He was back up, but he would let Leo handle it first. They were standing in front of Bishop, Stockman and their commandos. 

“Donny, I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.” Leo declared. 

Don roared and tried to charge him. Leo and Randall started firing their weapons at him. A lot of darts were imbedded all over Don’s body, until he got close to them, and he finally teetered and collapsed, unconscious.

Randall and Leo both had hated to fire those darts into Don, but they hadn’t had a choice. Leo walked around and placed his hands on Don’s shell. “It’s going to be okay, Donny.” he said. 

“He sure was one strong monster.” Randall stated. 

“He seemed to have gotten a lot stronger than from before.” Leo replied. 

The humans got Don’s body onto another platform with Leatherhead’s help and they took him to Stockman’s lab and put him in a new undamaged cell, and filled it with the same fluid. The man roach that had infected Don was in the same room, parallel to his cell. 

Don’s family kept watch while Stockman examined what was going on with the mutated turtle. 

“Hmm. Donatello’s body seems to be breaking down at a fantastic rate, due to secondary stage mutations caused by the outbreak accelerant. He doesn’t have much time. The animal was right.” Stockman retorted. 

Leatherhead growled, “Leonardo, this is wrong. We can’t leave Donatello’s fate to these devils. Stockman cannot be trusted, and him!” the croc pointed at the scientists angrily. “If you only knew what he was capable of!” 

Bishop crossed his arms proudly of what the croc was saying about him. 

LH bared his teeth at him again. 

“Leatherhead’s right, Leo. Bishop’s the enemy! He’s the one that caused the outbreak in the first place!” Raph yelled. 

“Stockman created the outbreak accelerant on my orders. What you call, the outbreak virus, is an unintended side effect of one of my operations.” Bishop proclaimed. 

As Randall looked at both specimens in the fluid, he recognized the man roach. Then he looked back at Bishop. He was just as wary as they were. 

“Do you have a cure?” Leo demanded. 

Bishop looked at the mutants, and then at Stockman, who shook his head no. “Yes.” he lied. “But as I said earlier, I need something from you.” Bishop said. 

Splinter and his family all glared angrily. 

“Name it.” Randall finally demanded. 

“A simple errand really. An item that I require. A relic that may prove useful to my work. I want you to retrieve it for me.” Bishop declared. 

The mutants and Randall all looked at each other. “From where?” Leo asked. 

“New York. In fact, I believe you know the man who currently holds it. His name is… Yogami.” Bishop said. 

They all gasped at that.


	41. Good Genes Part 2

Bishop knew he had them now. He knew they wouldn’t give up on their brother. Then the beeping came on again and that call came in again. 

“Excuse me, gentlemen. I have a call to take. I’ll be right back.” Bishop said. 

He talked to the ghost man again and he said he was sending special agents. The coordinates were being sent as they spoke. 

When Bishop came back out, it was decided that Splinter, Randall, and Leatherhead would stay with Donatello to make sure that the bad guys weren’t going to do more harm. Leo, Raph, and Mikey headed back to New York to get this relic for Bishop to save Don’s life. 

“Donatello’s condition continues to deteriorate. There’s not much time.” LH said. 

The three friends left behind looked at each other sadly, then turned to Stockman. “Dr. Stockman, we were told that you would administer the cure to Donatello.” Splinter stated. 

Stockman sent another load of a retro-virus into the cell of the man roach. Nothing happened. “To think I’ve sunk so low, that my unparalleled genius would be used to save the life of one of these… freaks.” he said to himself. 

“Where is the cure, Stockman?” Randall came up behind him. 

“I’m pulled from sweet oblivion, for what? This!” Stockman went on, ignoring them. Then he was grabbed from behind. 

“Show us the cure now!” Leatherhead demanded angrily. He grabbed the man and held him down. He was ready to punch him. 

“Cure? You stupid animal! Agent Bishop lied! There is no cure!” Stockman said angrily. 

“WHAT?!” Splinter and Randall said in unison. 

Leatherhead growled. His eyes even changed to slits that they did when he got ultimately angry. He held Stockman up. “You inhuman, souless monster!” He slammed him down on the machinery. 

“Leatherhead, please.” Splinter raised his hand to his shoulder. “I share your anger, but this will not help Donatello. We need solutions, not vengeance.” 

The croc whined and let go. 

“You’d be wise to listen to your friend, Animal.” Bishop was back. 

LH growled at him. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this! Now you will know the meaning of pain!” He tossed Stockman aside. 

“Randall, help me with Leatherhead.” Splinter advised. 

“Dr. Stockman is working on a cure. He’s still the best hope that Donatello has for survival.” The croc stopped advancing on him, but he glared angrily at him. “Harm me, and Stockman stops. And your friend has no chance!”

LH roared angrily. Splinter and Randall came over and pushed him back gently. “Fine, for now, villain.” He walked away from his friends and toward Stockman. “Dr. Stockman, show me what you have so far.” he demanded. 

Stockman reluctantly began to show Leatherhead the components used. 

Randall stood beside Splinter. “I noticed that man roach over there in the other cell.” Randall pointed out. 

“He’s Stockman’s test subject.” Bishop said. “To make sure we get the desired results, especially if you want Donatello back.” 

“I was saying that I recognize him as the one that originally infected Donatello. I was there the night my friend got slashed by him.” Randall declared. 

“Well, then, he is helping us now too.” Splinter said. 

“He better be.” Randall growled at the man roach and at Bishop. He didn’t trust that psychopath either. He also stepped in to aid Leatherhead in finding a cure for Don.   
………………

Leo and his two brothers had made it back to New York and had asked for April and Casey’s help in locating the Dark Dragons’ lair. Casey knew where they were, as well as the coordinates provided to them. 

The turtles and their human friends had a plan. 

The Dark Dragon headquarters were designed a lot like the Foot’s headquarters. Just different signs. Yogami was still trying to keep the same look as the Shredder, the Utrom Shredder. He would never truly be him, but he had proudly followed him. 

The turtles had the necessary supplies to try to take out the Dark Dragons’ armory. Raph was going to be in charge of that. Leo and Mikey were going to be in charge of getting the relic. They knew what they needed to do and wanted to do it fast. They all wanted to get back to Donatello, fast. 

They would regret it for the rest of their lives if their brother died while they were gone. They were glad that LH, their father, and Randall were still with him to make sure that Bishop didn’t have Stockman do something stupid, but then, Bishop was also capable of taking them captive too. 

The turtles and April and Casey were now at the headquarters. They split up. It was nice to be back in New York, but were only there temporarily. 

April and Casey were parked in the Battle Shell outside and close to the Dark Dragons’ hideout. Leo called in to April, “April.” 

“Go, Leo.” she replied. 

“We’ve made it to the Dark Dragons’ Garbage Disposal Area Facilities.” Leo stated as he and his two brothers ran inside, unseen. “Time for you and Casey to do your thing.” 

“Casey’s heading into the power station now. Stand by.” April said. 

Casey got out of the truck wearing a custodian look, carrying a mop. He had a computer virus to install. “Hey, if we’re putting in a computer virus, how come you’re not going in?” he complained to April, since he knew she was better at computer stuff. 

“Because I don’t look like a janitor.” April told him. 

“Gee, thanks.” Casey remarked grumpily. He was glad wasn’t a real janitor. 

“Keep us posted, April.” Leo said. “We’re moving into position now.” 

“Roger that.” April replied. 

“Well, here’s where the fun starts.” Leo declared to his brothers. They began to make their way inside even further. 

“All of the building’s garbage goes through chutes that lead to an incinerator.” April explained. 

“We’re going in through the furnace? Isn’t that going to be… odd?” Mikey asked. 

“It’s our only way in, and that’s not all. Once we get through the incinerators, we go up the chutes.” Leo stated. 

“Which Yogami has secured, with a deadly grid of lasers.” April added. 

The three turtles were running hard, trying to avoid being burnt by the incinerator’s fires that was always right behind them just they passed by them. They had now made it to one of the chutes and were waiting for Casey to do his thing. 

“When the power drops, we go up the vent.” Leo said. Right now, they were all running in place, but it seemed like more on a treadmill since they were on a moving belt. “We got to beat the emergency power kicking in.” 

There were fires still coming right at them, and the grid was still on. “Uh, Leo? Why is the grid still on?” Mikey asked, almost in panic. 

“Casey, April, cut that power or we’re Turtles Flombe.” Leo exclaimed. 

In the control room, Casey had trashed the security guard and he was unconscious. Casey was now trying to operate the computer. “I put in the stupid virus, but it ain’s workin!” he shouted angrily. 

“Casey!” Mikey shouted in fear. 

There was a fire coming up right before them. “Casey, we really need that power out… now!” Leo exclaimed. 

Casey knew he couldn’t let his friends down. He picked up one of them, ready to toss it. “Alright, you stupid computers. We’re doing this old school. Goongala!” he yelled as he threw the computer into another one, thus killing the power in the building and quite a distance in the surrounding neighborhood. 

“Wahoo!” Casey shouted happily. He hoped his friends were okay. 

The turtles finally stopped running and the purple lasers disappeared. “Grid’s down.” Leo said. Then he gave his bros a hand with getting into the vent. 

At the top of the building, Yogami had fires blazing in his office, for just in case of power outages. He saw the lights go off. He had two associates in front of him. “Find out what is going on.” he ordered and his minions ran off. 

Yogami closed his eyes and tried to sense what was going on. Then he sensed his old enemy. “Leonardo is here. But why? Why would he come here?” he asked himself. But whatever the reason, he was going to make sure he didn’t leave. 

Raph was up the vent first, then Mikey, and Leo last. “Good work, Casey. We’re in.” Leo told Casey. The grid came back on from the emergency power kicking in. “April, start phase three. Get to the copter.” 

“On it.” April replied. She and Casey began their way to the copter now that their friends were in. It was going to take a little while to get where they needed to go. 

“Remember, we get what we need, and get out.” Leo reminded his brothers, who both nodded. 

This sure felt like one odd mission that they were doing without Don beside them. Hacking a building’s security was his job, other than April’s. “Raph, you know what you have to do. Mikey, you’re with me.” Leo ordered. The guys started climbing up the vent.

In a secret portal that the turtles didn’t even know they were being watched, the Foot Mystics were watching them. 

“Everything goes according to plan, my brothers.” The Metal one decreed. 

“Soon, we will all be free.” The Earth one proclaimed.   
…………..

The three turtles split into two groups; Raph going off on his own. He was used to doing that. He went to find the armory while Leo and Mikey went to find the relic. 

Raphael searched carefully and watched some ninjas run by, who were obviously on alert. Once they were gone, he kicked the end of the vent open and dropped down to the floor. He saw the large mechanical machines that had once been used to destroy his former home months ago. 

“Ooh! Toys!” he said mischievously. What he planned was some payback. 

Leo and Mikey were still in the vents. Mikey saw some ninjas run by as he was climbing down below Leo. Leo reached another floor, and said, “End of the line.” He pushed out the vent’s opening, and came out scrunched down, Mikey following. 

“Isn’t it a little suspicious that Bishop knows exactly where this thing is?” Mikey asked in a low voice. “Even what floor it’s on?” 

“Absolutely.” Leo replied. “Wait, this looks almost familiar.” He walked over to the doors, but how could this be here? “We need to find out what floor-” he began, but stopped when the doors automatically opened. 

Leo and Mikey withdrew their weapons. In it revealed a new temple and the Foot Mystics, looking like statues. They remembered these guys. 

“Oh!” Mikey whimpered. 

“Crud!” Leo said. Neither he nor Mikey wanted to fight these guys at a time like this. 

“We’re backing up, and we’re avoiding the obvious trap.” Mikey guessed. Leo looked at him, then said, “No. Bishop’s relic is directly above us. The elevator in the back of this chamber will take us there. We go through!” 

“I knew you were going to say that.” Mikey stated. 

The two turtles went through the room toward the temple stairs with caution. Leo went up the stairs quietly, not paying attention to the statues. Mikey on the other hand, looked up at one of them and cringed with fear. He didn’t want to face this guy, or any of them. He finally started running after Leo. 

Leo had made it to the wall of curtains. He pulled one aside. He knew it was there because of the coordinates. He pressed the button and the doors opened with a foggy mist. They got on it without making a sound. They didn’t see the statue come to life, having actually seen them go through and get on. They wanted them to go through. 

The elevator took Mike and Leo to the floor above where they just got in, and it opened up again. “I’m still getting over the shock of being alive.” Mikey exclaimed. “Why didn’t the magic guys attack us?” 

“Can’t worry about it now.” Leo took out one of his katanas and aimed it. “Let’s just get this thing and get out.” he said. 

“You know, the instant you touch it, the whole place is going to go nuts, right?” Mikey pointed out. It was usually true in most movies and other places that guarded something valuable. 

Leo very carefully slid his katana under the crystal gem before them, holding still to make sure he had his goal right. Both turtles looked on, waiting for the outcome. The crystal fell onto the sword and Leo pulled it back quickly and he flicked his sword, making it land in his left hand. He and Mikey cringed, expecting an alarm to go off. 

But nothing happened. A moment later, they opened their eyes and let out sighs of relief, chuckling about it. They had what they had come for. 

Leo put his katana away, and then, the elevator doors opened. It was Yogami, dressed in Shredder armor again. “No! No! What are you doing?!” Yogami demanded. 

Leo and Mikey turned to face him angrily. “Raphael, now would be good.” Leo called Raph. 

In the armory, Raph had set explosives onto the mechanical war machines. He was standing by. He was standing on a nearby truck with a raised platform. He giggled and took out a remote. “Contact. Ignition. And blast off!” he exclaimed. 

The armory and machines began to blow up on contact. The blasts made the building shake, making even Yogami, Leo, and Mikey gasp. Yogami crouched down. 

“Give me the pendant!” Yogami ordered. 

Leo threw the crystal to Mikey. “Whoa!” he caught it. Leo then got in front of him defensively. 

“Give it to me now!” Yogami demanded and charged with a battle cry. 

Mikey back flipped away, back to the stand where the pendant had been before. Yogami went after him. “Give me that! You don’t know what you are doing!” He nearly got Mikey’s head with his blades. Mikey dodged, and threw it back to Leo. 

Leo jumped over and took a katana, and caught the gem. He aimed his sword at the man‘s neck. “Hold it right there, Yogami!” he demanded. 

“You cannot take that!” Yogami stated. 

“Watch us!” Leo retorted angrily. 

Yogami’s legs were standing widely apart. Mikey then ran and slid in between them. Leo tossed him the pendant again. He ran for the elevator. “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!” Mikey joked. 

Leo made sure he had made it, but was side swiped by the man. Leo got down and jumped for elevator. Yogami followed. He attacked Mikey in the elevator. His blades nearly coming close to imbedding Mikey’s head as the orange wearing turtle screamed in panic. 

Mikey was crouched on the floor of the elevator, protecting the gem with his life. Yogami struggled to get in as the doors were trying to close, but he got in and pushed Leo against the wall as he tried to protect Mikey. Yogami tried to throw a kick at Mikey, who dodged once, but the second kick that came threw the gem out of his hands. 

Yogami had a hold of Leo’s wrists, but then kicked off of Leo’s plastron, pushing him down. But both turtles leaped into the air, grabbing Yogami’s legs. They had to keep him from getting the gem back. They weren’t going to fail Don! 

They both pulled the man toward the doors and the elevator opened up just in time. They threw Yogami out of the elevator and into his office. 

Yogami got up and ordered his own Elite guards, “No! They must not leave! Get them!” 

The Elite guards vanished. 

The elevator doors were closing when the Elites appeared. Mikey had managed to grab the gem when he was stabbed at. Mikey screamed in terror. 

“Mikey!” Leo cried out. He took out both katanas, ready to defend himself and he locked his swords with two Elites behind him. He pushed them off the elevator, while Mikey was chased off. 

While Leo and Mikey were trying to avoid getting hurt, Yogami got on his intercom. “Dark Dragons! The turtles have infiltrated the building! Send all units to my location! They must not escape!” The man ordered. 

Leo did a spinning floor kicking action to defend himself from the Elites. He sent those two down and he checked on Mikey. 

Mikey had one on each side of him. The one in front of him tripped him and he fell onto the one behind him. The one in front tried to bring his weapon down upon him, but something happened. A green orb, kind of like a force field, protected him! 

Mikey was in shock. He instantly retaliated and got off the guard. The two Elite tried to go after him again. 

“Mikey! Take the pendant and run! I’ll hold them off! Just get out!” Leo shouted his orders.

He didn’t have to be told twice. Mikey ran for the exit, but that was when the doors just opened again by a mechanical war machine. The Elites had tried going after Mikey again, and Leo had blocked their path, weapons clanging. 

Mikey whimpered at what was coming into the room, thinking it was an enemy driving it. He backed up. 

The doors were pried open. Then the voice spoke, “Get out? I just got here.” Raph exclaimed happily. He was ready to give the Dark Dragons a taste of their own medicine. He aimed up the guns and started firing. 

Leo made sure to jump out of the way, as did the ninjas. Even Yogami. His office was being destroyed. The Elites then turned their attention to the machine. Their weapons pierced spots on the machine, and broke through the glass where Raph was driving it. 

Raph jumped from it, joining his brothers. The machine fell over. 

Leo helped Mikey to his feet as Raph came up. “Hey, I got an idea. Let’s get the shell outta here!” Raph stated. 

They all were ready to leave this place. They had what they came for. Then, there was, “I think not!” Yogami proclaimed. The turtles looked over and a ton of ninjas were pouring into the room, surrounding them. They were far outnumbered. 

“Is the phrase, ’Worse Case Scenero’ running through anyone else’s mind?” Mikey asked fearfully. 

“It doesn’t change the exit strategy.” Leo said. He called Casey, “Casey, top floor, east wall. We need an exit, now!” 

The Dark Dragons were getting ready to fight the turtles, but they heard a helicopter sound. “NO!” Yogami heard a copter. 

“You got it, Leo.” Casey replied and fired some missiles. 

The turtles crouched down for safety. The wall exploded and ninjas ran off or were knocked away from the blast. 

Yogami pushed a piece of debris off himself. He coughed and saw his three enemies getting up.

Mikey was under a piece of debris. “Auntie Em? Toto? Are we home yet?” he asked in a goofy way. 

“Up and adam goofball. Casey did it.” Raph said, helping him up. “Let’s go!” Then they all ran for the exit. 

Yogami glared at the turtles angrily. “NO!” Then he demanded a challenge. “Leonardo! Face me!” 

Leo was at the rear of his brothers. He heard it and was about to answer the challenge, but Mikey put a hand on his shoulder. “Get in, get out right? It’s not about Yogami, right?” Mikey reminded Leo of the plan. 

Leo turned to Mikey, then replied without a regret, “Right.” He put his katana back into its sheath. Then they turned and continued on the way out. 

“Stop them! Someone stop them!” Yogami ordered. He charged after the turtles. 

The three turtles got to the edge and instantly jumped off the edge. Yogami got to the edge and saw what happened next. 

Leo, Raph, and Mikey had landed on a rope ladder from the helicopter. Casey began pulling them up while April flew it away. 

Yogami was defeated for the moment. The gem was gone and he knew what it meant. He would lose control of the Foot Mystics soon! Since the turtles were Karai’s allies, they must have been taking it back to her, or so he thought. 

“NOOOO!” His yells of shame echoed in the air. 

April and Casey were glad to be part of the plan to help their friends, but they again, had to stay behind. Mikey held the gem as Leo and Raph took over pilot duty to get back to Nevada as quickly as possible. 

“I hope Don is okay.” April said. 

“Me too.” Casey agreed with her. “They’ll make sure he’s alright, April.” He gave her a hug as they watched the copter heading west once again.   
…………….

Back at Area 51, after going through all the agent compound chemicals and such, both Randall and Leatherhead had studied them. They combined several combinations. They both stood by, with Bishop and Splinter behind them. Stockman was still preparing some. 

Another set of a retro virus was set into the test subject’s fluid cell and this time, there was an instant reaction. The man roach began to look like he was panicking. But it was molting the now dead skin. 

Bishop was impressed. “Impressive, Mr. Leatherhead and Mr. Randall. And to think I wanted to dissect you.” he stated. They both growled at him. “What a waste that would have been. You two are even more brilliant than Dr. Stockman.” he complimented them. 

“What?” Stockman stated, dumbfounded.

To the reptiles, that was quite a compliment coming from an evil scientist. 

“And it’s Mr. Boggs to you!” Randall growled at Bishop. 

“So, it works?” Splinter asked, concerned. 

The skin finished molting off the man roach, revealing a pure human man. 

“Doctor, prepare an airborne version of the cure for the New York outbreak, as well as a sample for Donatello, if his brothers can fulfill their side of the agreement.” Bishop ordered and walked away. 

The three friends were now satisfied. They were sure Don’s brothers would come back successful. 

They began to get Don prepared to get his sample by putting him back in the cage they had designed. 

And the copter soon landed. The doors opened up once again. 

Bishop and Splinter were there to greet them. Leatherhead and Randall were over with Don. “My sons.” Splinter said as they came over. 

“Hand over the item. Then you’ll get your dear brother back.” Bishop stated with an evil smile. 

Splinter looked up at his sons and they all nodded at one another. Mikey approached Bishop and gave him the gem. 

Then, suddenly, red lights and sirens started going off, alarming all the mutants and Randall. But they weren’t going to leave Don behind! 

“Base Destruct Sequence Initiated!” The intercom exclaimed. 

“This base has been compromised by your presence. You have fifteen minutes to collect your brother and vacate the premises. Pleasure doing business with you.” Bishop said slyly before going underground again and was gone. 

The others ran over to where LH and Randall were with Don in his cage. Leatherhead was now administering the cure to Don like a tranquilizer. He was awake now and roaring in annoyance. 

“Leatherhead! Randall! How’s Donny?” Leo demanded to know. 

They backed up. “We’ll know in a moment.” Randall replied with a smile. He and the croc already knew it would work. 

The cage’s door opened up. The roaring had stopped. The others all gasped as out stepped, not what was a monster turtle, but the real Donatello! Naked, but it was him! 

Don opened his eyes, back to normal. “Hi, guys. What’s up?” he asked. Then he started to wobble. 

Leatherhead came up and steadied him. “I have you, my friend.” 

“Way to go, Donny! Welcome back!” came the others greeting him. 

“We have to get out of here, now!” Raph exclaimed. He grabbed onto Don next and they all made a run for it to the chopper. They were all happy Don was back, but they could continue the reunion later. 

“Hurry! This place is about to blow!” Leo demanded. 

Leo took the pilot’s spot and got the copter in the air just as the base began to blow up beneath them. They were glad they had Donatello back, the real one. 

“Welcome back, my son.” Splinter said as he clasped right hands with his son. 

“I hope you guys didn’t go through too much trouble for me.” Donny said. 

The others all cringed, but, for the moment, they could put on an act. “Nah!” Mikey replied. 

Even though they had all been through a lot to get Don back, and having made that deal that might come back to haunt them later, at least they had all saved Don’s life. They were more than glad to have him back to normal. They went back to New York. 

In New York, before they got back, Bishop’s government officials went through the sky, dropping the new cure down to mutated monster creatures. The same went for in the sewers. All the creatures were now back to normal as well. It would be nice for the turtles and Randall to not have to worry about these dangerous creatures anymore. 

Todd, the former roach man, was also released to go home, with a new set of clothes. But he had been explained to what had happened to him, though as to who were his saviors was kept a mystery.   
……………

In a hideout some distance away from the Area 51 base that was now no more, Agent Bishop and Dr. Stockman had the ghost man on the the video screen and were ready to receive the information about protecting the planet from aliens. 

But, instead of the laser reading information, it blew the crystal to pieces. 

“I don’t understand.” Stockman said. 

“You lied.” Bishop walked closer to the video screen. “This has all been an elaborate lie.” 

The ghost man laughed evilly before saying, “It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Agent Bishop.” and vanished off the screen. 

“Who would do this? And why?” Stockman asked. 

“Who, indeed?” Bishop agreed with him. 

From the portal the Mystics had, the Water Mystic turned himself back from the ghost man. Bishop’s face was shown looking stunned at having been tricked. 

The four other Mystics came over. The Water one said, “The crystal is destroyed.” 

“And with it, Yogami’s hold over us.” The Fire one said. 

“He thought because we could not touch it, he was safe.” The Earth one said. 

“But now, it is dust.” The Metal one finished, and began to change. He turned into a more humanoid figure. 

The other Mystics then all changed into more humanoid beings. Heralds. Evil magical beings. 

“Now, we are free to resurrect the true Shredder.” Metal decreed. 

They all put their staffs together in a bond of their brotherhood in the middle before they vanished. They were on their way to start a new reign of terror.   
……………

Once the turtles, Splinter, LH, and Randall all arrived back home, Donatello was so glad to be home. They all saw that Don’s health seemed better than how it was the last time they saw him before they left for the last monster hunt. 

Don got a new mask and new gear to replace the ones he had lost when he had started transforming. He also still did have that cut on his leg. It was also re-bandaged. 

If there was one thing Don wanted when he first got home, it was some food. He hadn’t had a decent meal in at least a few days. He had been so nauseated before his mutation that he couldn’t keep anything down at the time. 

Mikey and Randall gladly made a big celebration meal to welcome Don’s return to normal. Leatherhead was happy to stay for it. April and Casey also came over for dinner. 

When they saw Donatello back to normal, April couldn’t help but burst out in tears. He was a sight for sore eyes. She ran and hugged him. 

“Welcome back, Donny!” April sobbed. 

“It’s good to have ya back to normal, bro.” Casey said, patting him on the shell. 

“Thanks.” Don replied. He held April until she let go. 

When the food was ready, everyone was more than ready to help themselves. The mutants and Randall hadn’t slept or eaten much in the last few days, being so worried about Don, so now, they were making up for it. Aside from Don’s sickness being cured, they were all famished. 

Don was told to eat slow so he didn’t upset his stomach again. He grabbed nearly everything that was being served, as they were his favorites. His whole family was glad to share in the meal. They all ate the food slow. 

Chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, some sushi, some fruit and veggies, and even pizza was served for dinner. There were some brownies for dessert. It was like a Thanksgiving dinner for the second time. 

After the meal, there was a little TV time to let the food settle a bit before they were going to head to bed. They all needed some rest. It had been a long sixty-eight hours of dealing with everything. April and Casey left when their friends were ready for bed, but Randall wanted to stay longer. 

Don was going to be put on bed rest for a little while to make sure that he was going to be fine. He had so much rest he had to catch up on from not being able to while he had had his ‘cold.’ It had kept him up, along with just wanting to work on his inventions and upgrades to the new lair. 

The lair was pretty finished by now. It just had to be kept taken care of was all, like any home. 

Leatherhead stayed for a few more days to make sure things stayed good with Don’s health. It did. He was finally able to go home as well. 

Randall took over as his doctor, so to speak, as did Don’s family. They made sure that Don took it easy. They didn’t want him stressing himself should he have a relapse. 

One day, while Don was resting, Randall brought him in a book to entertain himself. “Here’s something new that April got for ya in the mail.” he said to Don. 

“Thanks, Randall.” Don replied. “Uh, Randall, I was just wanting to know what you might want for your birthday?” 

Randall stiffened. “I uh… hadn’t really thought about it. I know it’s close, but I think seeing you alright is the best gift I could get for it. You don’t need to make me anything. You are one of my closest friends, Don. After all I have seen you do for your family and me, the least we all could show you was how far we were willing to go to save your life.” he explained. 

“You were part of the solution that saved my life, I heard, along with Leatherhead.” Don stated proudly. 

“Yes, I was. Stockman wasn’t doing hardly squat to know what he was doing. Plus, we know that he was being so reluctant to want to save you as it was.” Randall said. 

“I can understand why. We’ve interfered in his evil plans so much would be why. We knew him long before you did.” Don said. “But anyway, I am happy that you did help to save me.”

“After all the kindness and respect you have shown to me, I would return it in a heartbeat.” Randall replied. “Now if only that slash on your leg would heal. That’s not normal for a wound to persist as long as that one has.” 

Don looked down at his leg at the bandages. That was true. He was tired of wearing bandages on his thigh. He was tired of that wound. Now if it would just heal.


	42. The Ninja Tribunal

Over the next three weeks, there was a party thrown for Randall once again. Don was allowed to participate in it, but he had to be sitting down. Randall was grateful for the few gifts he did get, but most proud of the meal that had been made for him, but the best gift of all was Don being there, as himself. 

Don was allowed to train, at least just the basic katas for self defense. But Leo didn’t want him stressing out. He still needed a lot of rest. 

One month later from the curing, it was a beautiful night out. Randall was back at April’s tonight. Down in the lair, the guys had just gotten some new furniture and were moving it around. 

At April’s place, she was surprised to get a surprise visitor. It was the Ancient One. He had an address label with him to help him remember and he had gotten there by sailing there by ship. He had tried to find her house on his own. 

“I need to find your friends, Miss O’Neil.” Ancient One declared. 

“I’m rather busy right now, but I have a friend that lives in the basement that could take you to their lair.” April said. 

“Good. Time is of the essence right now.” The old man said rather urgently. 

“Alright. This way.” she directed him. She led him to the basement door and downstairs. She knocked on Randall’s door. 

“Yes.” the lizard replied. 

“Randall, we have a visitor.” April said. 

Randall had been watching a program, but got off the bed to get the door. His door had been replaced too since Don had destroyed the old one. 

When he opened the door, he saw the redheaded woman and a little old fat man. He had definitely never seen him before. “Who’s this?” he asked. 

“Randall, allow me to introduce you to the Ancient One.” April introduced him. “Ancient One, this is the one and only, Randall Boggs. I’m sure Leo told you about him.” 

“Yes, he did indeed.” The Ancient One declared. He looked the lizard monster up and down. He could sense this lizard had had a tough time in his life. He could sure teach him some things, but from way back when, with another of his adopted sons, he could also sense that Randall had a hardness within him, although he appeared reformed. 

“We must make haste. I need to reach the turtles right away.” The old man said again. 

“Alright.” Randall replied. He went to turn his TV off first. 

“Randall, I’m busy upstairs right now, can you take him to the lair?” April suggested. 

“Sure.” Randall replied. “This way.” He was nervous about being alone with this guy. He didn’t give his full trust out to just anyone, but he had been told about this old man. 

The Ancient One followed Randall through the sewers.   
……………

“No. No. I don’t think so.” Mikey was saying. He was trying to direct Raph and Leo while they were moving a new couch for their living room. Don was sitting on it. “A little to the right.” They began moving the couch to his right. Then he said, “No, my other right.” 

“I’ll give another right, Mikey. A right hook!” Raph warned Mikey that he was ready to punch him. He was incredibly annoyed by Mikey’s directions. 

“Guys, let me get up and help. This is just silly.” Don suggested. He wanted to be up and doing something. 

“No. You stay right there and rest.” Leo said. 

“But I have rested. I’ve been resting for weeks. I rested while you guys fixed up the lair. I rested while you moved furniture. Heck, I’m resting on the furniture you’re moving. I’m done resting!” Don proclaimed. 

“It’s just that we don’t want to take any chances of a relapse.” Leo stated. 

“Yeah, no offense, Donny, but you weren’t too much fun when you were sick.” Raph said with his arms crossed. 

“Fun? He was a monster! He was an absolutely horrible, nasty, big fang monster! You tried to eat my leg!” Mikey exclaimed to Don as he pointed at him. 

“Um… I’m sorry, Mikey.” Don closed his eyes sadly. “Guys, I don’t remember any of that.” he admitted. 

“It’s okay, Donny. Come to think of it, we have been cooped up in here for a long time. Who’s up for some late night entertainment?” Leo asked with a smile. He had gotten an idea. 

All three of his bros raised their hands. They all agreed to go topside and have some fun. 

Leo went to tell his father that he was taking his brothers out for exercise. While he did that, Don went to the lab and took his bandages off his leg. The cut on his leg looked healed enough. He was sick of bandages. He would let it out to the air. 

They all made sure to go to the bathroom before heading out. Don was happy to be joining them this time. It had been so long since he had been out with his brothers and not seem to have a bad head cold. 

The guys were soon hitting the rooftops. They had so much energy to let off, but at least it was in a positive way. Even Raphael. Even he was glad Don was healed and back to normal. 

Mikey stopped to toy around with some heart boxers. He giggled and then Raph grabbed him from above, making them both go flying over to the next rooftop. Mikey landed hard on his shell. Raph fell off of him. Then Leo and Don jumped over to the same rooftop. 

“Man, it feels good to be out of the lair.” Don admitted. 

Raph and Mikey flipped back over to their brothers. “Are we sure Donny’s all better? See the full moon, Donny? Do you feel the monster inside, the monster taking control?” Mikey laughed like how a lunatic would. 

Don smiled. He knew how to play along with this. They were all in a playful mood. “Oh no! I’m… changing!” Don held his throat, then let out a “ROAR!” He then began to chase Mikey around the rooftop. 

“Help me! Help me! He’s trying to eat my leg again!” Mikey screeched in a playful, female-like voice. 

Little did the turtles know that they were being watched by four shadowy figures. 

Back at the lair, Splinter was just relaxing in his room. He had a pond in his room and a hole in the wall. He had salvaged what he could from his room in the old lair to try to make his room more comfortable. He also preferred keeping his room lit with firelit candles. He also had a shrine made for his sensei. 

Master Splinter was currently examining the old Foot clan symbol. Then he heard a voice behind him. “Here it is.” It was Randall. Splinter looked behind him. 

“Pardon this intrusion, Splinter-san.” The Ancient One stepped and jumped forward, a faster way to get over to him. 

Randall was perplexed how such an old human could move like this one could. Most old humans he had seen on the streets couldn’t even move half as good as this one he had only just met. 

“Ancient One? You have come all this way?” Splinter asked. 

The man got in front of him. “I am afraid so.” 

Splinter knew why the Ancient One had come. “Then, it has begun again.” He looked down sadly. His sons were not here. 

Randall didn’t like the sound of that. What had begun again? 

“Where are they? Where are your sons?” The Ancient One asked urgently. 

“Out… Taking exercise.” Splinter admitted. 

The Ancient One’s face turned into one of panic. “Oh no! I am too late! Too late!” 

“What? What’s going on?” Randall demanded. “You have been in a hurry since I met you.” 

“We have to hurry and find them!” Splinter said. “Randall, you can come too.” 

“What’s this all about?” Randall demanded to know. 

“We’ll tell you later, I promise.” Splinter said. “Right now, we must find my sons.” 

Randall would be happy to help find them, but he asked, “Are they in danger?” 

“Yes.” The Ancient One replied. “No more questions. Just go!” 

The three of them hurried out of the lair. Both Splinter and Randall would use their sense of smell to track the turtles down. The Ancient One was surprised that the lizard didn’t carry weapons. 

“I assume you know how to fight, Randall?” the man asked. 

“Yes. I may not be like the turtles, because of my body’s anatomy, but I have my own ways of fighting too.” Randall stated. 

Splinter was leading the way, but if he needed back up on tracking, Randall was there to back him up.   
……………

Back on the rooftop, Leo, Raph, and Mikey were all playfully running away from Don now, pretending he was a monster again. It was brief. Then they pulled up, laughing hard. Leo and Raph held their stomachs, they were laughing so hard. It had been a long time since they had played and laughed like that. 

Don rubbed Mikey’s head. Mikey was laughing just as hard as the two oldest ones. “Man, it feels good to be out and about again.” Don said again. 

Then, all of a sudden, there was a sound of rushing wind, as if someone had flown by them. The turtles all froze up and looked around. It made them draw their weapons in case they were under attack. 

The shadowy figures jumped down to the roof they were on and showed themselves. The turtles turned around and saw four tall figures approach them. They took out some tonfas, the same weapons that Randall had chosen for his weapons. If only he was here now. He might have vanished for sure. 

The figures started pounding their tonfas together. 

“Maybe it’s just me, but I think these guys plan to stick it to us.” Raph remarked. 

The turtles all got into battle stances. The figures bowed to them honorably. 

“What do we do now?” Don asked nervously. He looked over at his brothers. 

“Bow, I guess.” Leo replied. He put his one katana away, and then, he and his brothers bowed respectively back to the figures. 

That was when they attacked. They jumped into the air, surprising the turtles. Leo threw some shurikens at one and it caught them on his tonfa. Leo quickly drew a katana to block the tonfa from striking him. His brothers jumped as one over the other three and turned around. 

“Maybe we should have run instead.” Mikey suggested. 

“Who are these bozos?” Raph asked. 

“They don’t look like the Foot or the Dark Dragons.” Don replied. 

One of the figures got Raph to face him. He locked one of his tonfas with a sai and he made it go flying and landing behind Raph. Raph growled and was ready to fight with just the one sai he had left. But the figure bowed to him. 

“Huh?” Raph questioned. He backed up and was allowed to get his other sai. “They sure don’t fight like ‘em either.” Then the figure charged him again, making him jump away. 

A third one was now taking on Don. He tried taking some whacks at his figure, which he blocked efficiently. He leaped over him. The figure twisted around in some weird way that wasn’t normal. Don gasped. Then the figure reconnected and stood tall. It went on to test him more. 

Mikey was also taking the last one while Leo was taking on the first one. 

Leo and his figure were fighting on the edge of the rooftop. 

Mikey jumped onto the entrance shed on the roof. He started showing off some moves to the figure, which the figure was able to copy about just the same. “So, you got some moves?” Mikey asked. He did some twirling of one of his nunchukus from his wrist to his neck. The figure copied him. 

“Showoff!” Mikey shouted at him. Then the figure jumped up after him, nearly hitting him, making the youngest scream. 

Raph was still fighting his figure pretty good, and he punched him. He instantly felt a hard surface. “Oh! What is up with these jokers? Talk about your rock hard abs.” he stated as he held his sore hand. 

Don took a swing at the rib section on his figure. It retaliated and did the same to him. It made him roll a ways. He cried out in pain. “It’s their rock hard kicks I’m worried about.” he grimaced in pain. His ribs hurt. 

Leo was fighting his figure real hard now. He finally leaped into the air and brought one of his katana down on the figure’s head, thinking he could kill him. That was when the head gear fell away, revealing a wooden head without a face. 

The wooden figure pulled Leo’s sword out of its head and the split in the middle healed itself. Then it held Leo’s sword out for him to reclaim. 

Leo was shocked. “They’re… made of wood.” he exclaimed. 

“That explains the lack of weak spots.” Raph declared. 

Then Mikey punched his figure to test it. “Ow! And why my hand hurts when I punch him.” 

Leo walked forward to reclaim his katana. The figure went on fighting him some more before he kicked Leo in the chest, knocking him back. Leo fought to not go down completely. He glared back at the figure. 

He got up and charged at the wood figure again. Then it hit him on the back at the top of his shell, flattening him onto his stomach. He tried to get up again, but before he could, a hit came to the back of his head. He cried out and he fell off the edge of the roof, onto the roof’s floor onto his shell, unconscious. 

Mikey tried his luck to beat his, but he got a kick in the chest, knocking him over and out too. 

Raph began a series of furious punches and kicks, but it did no good. He was kicked away too, but the figure came over to him and stepped onto his plastron, crushing his ribs. Raph tried to resist, but it put enough pressure there to make him konk out too. 

Don was the last one standing. “Raph! No!” he cried out. He tried to keep fighting to defend his brothers, but he too, was bashed on the shell and in the stomach, knocking him out too. 

The figures stood over the fallen turtles, then picked them up gently. They also picked up their weapons and carried the turtles to the dock, where there was a dragon-like ship waiting. 

The turtles were all put into a cell to wake up on their own. Their weapons were secured outside, by a magic spell. 

The owners of this ship expected the turtles to come out of unconsciousness soon. It set sail immediately now that they had what they had come here for.   
……………

Splinter, Randall, and the Ancient One were now standing on the same rooftop the turtles had been on when they had been fighting and taken away. Both Randall and Splinter had tracked the turtles’ scents here. They watched as the Ancient One was looking around for clues. 

Randall could taste his friends’ scents here and he tasted something else, more like wood. 

The Ancient One came across some scratch marks in the roof, along with some cut pieces of a mask. “Yes, the Mokusei no Bushi were here.” he said. 

Splinter glared angrily. 

“And here.” Ancient One went on. “Signs of a struggle.” 

Randall wished he could have been there to help his friends. But he would gladly be there to help track them down. 

The Ancient One held up a piece of wood, one that Leonardo had sliced. 

“The Ninja Tribunal has taken my sons!” Splinter growled angrily. Randall looked at him in shock. He knew who had taken his sons? “Ancient One, you must take me to the Tribunal.” Splinter demanded. 

The Ancient One glared at Splinter, “You know that what you ask is simply not permitted.” he replied. 

“Permitted or not, I will protect my sons!” Splinter exclaimed. 

They continued to follow the scents to the docks, where the trail ended. “So what do we do now?” Randall asked. 

“We will go back and set forth for Japan immediately!” Splinter ordered. 

They went back to the lair first to get supplies. The Ancient One would take him there. 

Randall was ready to go too, but then, Splinter stopped him. “Randall, no. You need to stay and look after things here.” 

“I can still fight. I want to know who these criminals are that took my friends!” Randall demanded. 

“I suppose I owe you that.” Splinter agreed. “They are a group of four powerful and ancient humans, immortal in fact. I met them a long time ago, when my sons were real small. And they knew of my master, Yoshi. It was because of them that they didn’t help against the alien Utrom why my master was slain in the first place! And now, they want my sons to take on an evil that they can’t possibly take on!” he finished in anger. 

Randall had never seen Splinter so angry before. 

“We must go now if we are to catch them in time.” The Ancient One decreed. 

“When will you be back?” Randall asked. 

“I don’t know, Randall. That is why you must remain and take care of things here. Protect April and Casey. And the lair. I promise, we will be back as soon as we can.” Splinter ordered. 

“Alright.” Randall said hesitantly. “Good luck.” 

“Thank you, Randall. I know you will do me proud.” Splinter said. He had some different clothes and they were going to go to grab another boat at the docks that was due to leave. He even had on some shoes, Japanese shoes. Splinter would hide in the cargo below. 

Randall was welcomed to follow them as far as the docks. He saw the Ancient One get on the ship the regular way, while Splinter snuck up a rope and went for the cargo area. He could have just as easily snuck aboard, but what Splinter said made sense. Someone had to stay behind and help April and Casey take care of things here. 

This was the biggest kidnapping that Randall had even encountered from his friends before, and this was an enemy he didn’t even know. He trusted Master Splinter would get his sons back and bring them home. Plus, he was leaving in such a hurry there would be no time to tell April where he had gone. 

After the ship departed the dock, Randall took to the rooftops again. He always made sure he wasn’t being followed. He couldn’t afford to get captured at a time like this. 

It had taken awhile, but he reached Central Park again and he went down to the lair to look things over. The lair was empty now of all its occupants but him. But he didn’t live here. He was just a visitor, but it was like a second home. 

Randall couldn’t believe this was happening. Donatello had just gotten well again from the monster incident, and now, there was another challenge to the mutant family. He turned off what needed to be turned off. He would come back from time to time to make sure the place stayed in working order. At least he knew where Splinter was going off to. He went into Splinter’s room to head back out and he saw the globe in there. 

He looked at the map of the Earth, and he saw where New York was and he saw Japan on the other side of the world. Ships could take a long time to get there. They should have flown on an airplane. He didn’t know where in Japan this place was, but he would let things go as needed. 

Randall went back to April’s after that to tell her that the turtles were kidnapped and that Splinter had gone after them. Splinter had ordered him to stay behind and help her out. 

“You could have gone with them, Randall.” April declared.

“I tried to, but Splinter said to stay here. And you wouldn’t know where he went if I had gone too. I’m sure they’ll write if they stay for a long time. Or it’s possible not to. I don’t know where this place in Japan where he went.” Randall explained. 

“Okay, well. Thanks for telling me.” April said. 

This was going to be a long wait for them to come home again. Randall was still concerned about what had been said that his friends would be taking on a great evil, and that the Ninja Tribunal was immortal. Could they be the enemy? They had to be if they had taken his adoptive brothers. 

Randall would love to fight at their sides to bring these enemies down.   
……………

It had been a few days and the turtles all finally awoke from their enforced sleep. They all moaned and rubbed their heads as they began to get up. Their bodies were still a little sore from the beatings they had taken. 

Raph immediately noticed they were in a cell. He walked up to the door. 

Mikey helped Leo up. “Where are we?” Leo asked. 

“Wherever we are…” Raph knocked on the door. “We’re locked in!” Then he wanted to punch a hole in the door. But it was much to his shock that the door just opened up. “Huh?” his temper softened. 

“Or not.” Don said with his arms crossed. 

“Okay. Anymore freakiness anyone?” Mikey asked. 

Raph pushed the door open and all the brothers silently made sure they were accounted for. Don was out last. He smiled a bit, but then noticed something was off at what he saw behind his brothers. 

“Uh, guys, our weapons don’t usually float in the air by themselves, do they?” he asked as he pointed at the weapons that were waiting for their owners to pick them up again. There was a white light that held them up.

“This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Leo admitted. 

“Weird or not, I’m getting my gear.” Raph stated. He grabbed his sais, and the magical light around them vanished. His brothers proceeded to get their weapons too. 

“If we have all of our weapons, then whose weapons are those?” Leo asked about some other weapons that were hanging behind them. 

“Maybe… theirs.” Mikey pointed out some other cells. The doors all began to open and four different humans stepped out of each one. 

A big, tall muscular bald man came out of the first cell. He grabbed a mace on a chain. 

The second cell had a blonde-haired woman with shoulder length hair and green clothes on. She got the long yellow weapon. It also had a blade on the end of it. 

The third cell had a Japanese man, who got some hooked-like blades. 

And the fourth cell had a black man. He got the sword that was there. 

The four humans didn’t know each other, but they all got into defensive stances, just as the turtles did. They were all just being cautious. 

“Are you our abductors?” the woman demanded. 

“Hey, Goldilocks, we don’t have a clue as to what you’re talking about.” Raph replied. 

“Who sent you?!” the asian man demanded. 

“We weren’t sent by anybody.” Don stated. 

“Some wooden manican guys with tonfa knocked the snot out of us and we woke up here.” Mikey exclaimed. 

The humans seemed to understand that the creatures before them weren’t their abductors and relaxed a little more. 

“Who are you?” the black man asked. 

“What are you?” the woman asked. 

“That’s kind of a long story.” Leo replied. 

“We’re ninjas.” Raph said. 

“And turtles.” Don added. 

“Ninja turtles!” Mikey said happily, waving his arms proudly.

Leo put his sword away that he had out before introducing his brothers. “This is Raphael. Donatello. Michelangelo.” Don and Raph had nodded.

“Over here.” Mikey said, waving. 

“And I’m Leonardo.” Leo gestured to himself. 

“Greetings, Leonardo. I am Joy.” the woman replied. 

“Adam,” the big muscular man waved. 

“Furachi.” the black man said. 

“Tora.” the asian man said. “We too were abducted.” 

“Well, we’re going to find out what’s going on here. You can follow us if you like.” Leo offered. He and his brothers turned around to take the lead. The humans followed them. 

Everything about the aisles was really colorful. They soon came to a door and opened it, revealing a dark, bluish room. But after they all stepped through, the door vanished. 

“This is different.” Joy admitted. 

“I’ll say.” Tora said. “The door we came in through, it’s gone!” 

“Okay, I am not enjoying this whole haunted mansion motiff. I want a door and I want it now! Pleeeease!” Mikey begged. 

Then there was a sound behind them and a new set of doors appeared. 

“This is like some kind of funhouse.” Adam said. 

“Yeah, but without any of the fun.” Mikey replied. 

“Let’s find out who’s running this freak show and lodge a complaint.” Raph declared. He went up to the doors to open them first. The turtles pushed the doors open and all eight of them entered the new room. 

The new room was huge and open spaced. There were lots more of the wooden figures in the room. There were snake or dragon drawings on the walls, and all lit with fire for lighting. 

“Hey, Leo, check it out.” Raph pointed out the wooden figures that lined the walls. 

“Stay on your guard. Be ready.” Leo whispered to the others. 

They all came to the bottom of a staircase that was before them at the end of the room. Up above, there were five thrones on it, with four of them having occupants. Some special lanterns lit up, making the occupants more visible to them. 

“Bow when you enter this sanctuary!” a deep, male voice demanded. He wore a blue cloak. 

“What the shell!” Raph exclaimed, Leo holding him back. The occupants stood up, wearing garb that seemed awfully familiar to the turtles. “Four Shredders?!” 

“This doesn’t look good.” Don admitted fearfully. 

“We could barely handle one Shredder.” Mikey added. 

“Stand your ground. Be prepared.” Leo stated. 

“Silence! We are the Ninja Tribunal. Prepare to be judged.” another male voice took over. It was a little softer than the other one who spoke first. He wore a grayish green cloak. 

“A great evil is coming.” The deep voiced one spoke next. “Darkness beyond your worst imaginings.”

“We require warriors to combat it. And, as pathetic as you are, you eight are our best hope.” a female voice now spoke. She was the one in green. 

There was also one in more darker, golden garb too up at the top, bigger than the rest, but he didn’t speak. 

“You will battle each other, and only the most worthy will survive.” Deep voice said. “The ones left standing will become our Acolytes, who will aid us in our battle against the coming darkness.” 

The others couldn’t believe what these strangers were saying. The eight new friends gave each other concerned looks. 

“You expect us to fight each other?” Leo demanded. 

“Forget it, bucket heads!” Raph exclaimed. 

“You will fight, or you will be destroyed.” the softer voiced male said. 

The wooden figures came to life on the shelves and jumped down, taking out their tonfas. Some blades came out of the tips. It was same on both sides. They were all surrounded. 

“Fight! Be judged!” the deep voiced male ordered. “Prove your worth! The Ninja Tribunal commands it.” 

“If you do not fight, others will suffer. The world will suffer.” the soft voiced male said. 

“Those that you care about.” Deep voice male said. 

“Like your aunt in Komodo, Joy.” the female said. Joy gasped. “Or your brother in Miami, Adam.” Adam gasped. “Or the rat that you four call your father.” 

The turtles were all concerned now. How did she know about him? 

“If you won’t fight to save yourselves, fight to save your loved ones.” the female ordered. 

The turtles and humans lined up on each side. They all had their weapons ready. Then each one of the turtles took a place along with a human. Leo went with Furachi. Adam and Don went together. Mikey and Tora. And Raph and Joy. 

Leo and Furachi clashed their swords. “This is crazy!” Leo declared. 

“Yes, I have no wish to fight you.” Furachi agreed with Leo. 

“Yeah, me neither. I thought you guys seemed alright. For giant turtles and all.” Adam admitted. Don smiled at him. It was nice to hear a human say that. 

“To save our families, we have no choice!” Tora exclaimed. He put one of his blades toward Mikey, who caught it with his nunchuku chain. 

“There’s always a choice!” Mikey proclaimed. 

“Yeah, instead of fighting each other, we ought to be fighting those four goons.” Raph decreed. Joy agreed with him. 

“I agree. I will not be judged by the likes of them.” Furachi admitted. 

“Then, if we’re all agreed, let’s kick some shell.” Leo said. He led the charge and he and the others tried to get to the Tribunal, only to be blocked by the Bushi figures. 

“Not these guys again.” Mikey complained. 

“I don’t know about you, Mikey, but I welcome the rematch. I got a score to settle with these walking tree trunks.” Raph stated angrily. 

They all began fighting the Bushi figures. Leo and Furachi were smashed down from behind. 

Raph and Joy stood beside each other. “Raphael, give me a hand.” Joy said. He took her hands and let her go. She was going to try to knock some down, but she got knocked to the ground. “Joy, no!” Raph cried out. 

Adam threw his mace into one and got a little cocky for a moment. The Bushi ended up taking his mace away and knocked him down on top of Don. Don grunted at the fall. 

Raph, Mikey, and Tora were the last ones to go down. They were all on the floor, and just when the Bushi were just about to move in for the kill, they were stopped. 

“Hold!” the soft voiced male ordered. 

“So, this is your choice?” deep voice demanded. 

“You would attack this tribunal before you would each other?” the female demanded. 

“Yes!” Leo exclaimed. 

“Without question!” Furachi added. 

The Tribunal looked at them all. Their decision was then made. “You have been judged.” the deep voiced male said. 

“You eight have passed your first trial. One of many.” the female spoke. 

“You are now our Acolytes, to be trained in Ninjitsu arts.” The deep voiced one finished. The Bushi were also backing off, back to the walls, where their tonfa blades were put away. 

The eight Acolytes stood up. The soft voiced male continued, “A great honor has been bestowed upon you.” 

“But know this; the training will be hard. The weak will be separated from the strong. And the battle you are being prepared for, will be against an enemy unlike anything you have ever faced before.” the woman explained. 

Then, some golden steps appeared magically in front of them, heading upwards to where a grate opened up for them. “Take this time to reflect on all you have seen and heard thus far.” the deep voiced man said. 

Leo shrugged and he began to lead the way upwards. “Okay…” 

“I am not liking this. Not liking this one bit.” Raph admitted. 

“I’m with you, Raph.” Joy agreed. 

When they all got to the top, it looked almost like a small village. “Wow. What is this place?” Furachi asked. 

“Let’s find out.” Leo said. 

They all walked a ways, until they came toward the end of the floor, and saw that they were on a dragon looking boat! 

“We’re-” Leo was in shock. “In the middle of the ocean!” Furachi finished for him.

Dolphins were swimming and jumping beside the ship. 

“We’ve been shanghaied!” Mikey exclaimed. 

“Oh, this is messed up! I say we get off this miserable tub and forget we were ever here!” Raph said angrily. 

“What makes you think the Tribunal would allow us to escape? They’re very powerful.” Joy asked. 

“What do you think, Leo?” Mikey asked. 

“I don’t know what to think. They say a great evil is coming. I…” Leo said. 

“Hey, guys. Land ho!” Don stated, as he saw land ahead. 

“That sure the shell ain’t New York.” Raph stated. 

“Where are we?” Furachi demanded. 

“My friends, welcome… to Japan.” Joy stated. 

The ship continued to carry them towards shore. Leo didn’t remember his trip to Japan like this. Well, he could take the others to see the Ancient One maybe when they were allowed to leave here, or try to escape there, if possible. But they had to worry about this first, to find out if the Ninja Tribunal really wasn’t an enemy first.   
…………….

Back in New York, Casey was now finding out that all of friends had been taken to Japan. 

“When are they gonna be back?” Casey demanded. Randall was standing in front of him. 

“I don’t know. When Leo left, he was gone for over two months. Might have been longer if it wasn’t for his family being in danger. Splinter didn’t tell me much before he left to go get the turtles back. He’s with the Ancient One.” Randall explained. 

“It’ll be up to us to patrol the city then, Randall.” Casey said. 

“Sure. I’ll see what I can do. I still have a score to settle with the Dark Dragons, for my friends.” Randall stated. 

“You guys just be very careful out there. You won’t have the back up you need for awhile.” April expressed her concern. 

“We will, April.” Casey said. 

And of course, there was Leatherhead too. Randall left to go tell him too of the situation. It was just so he could be on standby should he ever be needed. 

Randall hoped his friends were going to be alright, as did April, Casey, and Leatherhead. If there was one thing he was vowing to do for the turtles while they were gone, it was to get rid of the Dark Dragon’s leader. He was fed up with Yogami. He would think up a plan and go with it.


	43. Lap of the Gods

The dragon ship was nearing the shoreline. The eight Acolytes were still wondering what this was all about. 

Don and Mikey were sitting on the front deck with Adam. Farachi was at the head of the ship. 

“What the shell have we gotten ourselves into?!” Mikey exclaimed. 

“I’ve always wanted to see Japan. But, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” Don replied. 

“Yeah, man. I don’t think this place is in any tourist guides.” Adam said. 

The ship was getting closer to land. Leo and Raph had moved back to the window where they had come up from. Torra and Joy were there with them too. 

“I don’t know about you, but this stealth into the mystery is getting old real fast. This stinks, Leo.” Raph complained. “Big time.” 

Leo noted Raph’s complaint. He had a point. He was leaning on the window on his left knee. “Any movement from the Tribunal, Torra?” he asked. 

Torra was sitting on the window. He looked downward. The Tribunal hadn’t moved. “Nothing, kame.” Torra said. 

“Then I say, we go down there and make ‘em move.” Raph declared. 

Leo stood up and said, “There’s still so much we don’t know about the Tribunal. About this threat they mentioned.” 

Raph put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You gotta be kiddin’ me! They kidnapped us! They set their little wooden soldiers on us, and they tried to make us take each other out! They’re the threat, and you still wanna wait and see?” he demanded. 

“Warriors! We have apparently arrived.” Farachi announced. 

The others all ran to see what they were going to see when they got off. At first glance, Mikey wasn’t too impressed. He just saw a temple on the ground with a path heading inward to a cave. “This is it? I was expecting something a little more… cool.” 

Don looked up and saw there was more. He poked Mikey’s shoulder and pointed up. Mikey looked up and he saw some dragons decorating the higher walls. Plus they were a staircase. 

“Whoa. Now that’s more like it!” Mikey declared. 

“Acolytes.” the soft voiced male said. They all turned to face the Tribunal. They sure had come up fast. 

“You must disembark now.” deep voice male said. 

“The journey ahead is long and difficult.” soft voice said. “And your burdens are great.” 

“Probably too great.” deep voice said. 

“Burden? What are you-?” Don was asking before something was pointed to behind his back. He looked over. “Oh.” Don said. There was gear that was like camping gear, sleeping bags, canteens, a backpack, and so on. There were eight of them. 

Each one of them got one when they got off the ship and began making the long trip up the staircase. They were all heavy. 

Joy was leading the way. Raph was behind her. “What did they pack these things with? Bricks?” Raph asked sarcastically. 

“No, bro. That’s just your head.” Mikey joked. 

“Keep yapping, Mikey.” Raph growled. “Just wait till we get to the top.” 

“Geez, are they always like this to each other?” Adam asked. 

“No. Usually they’re a lot more annoying.” Leo replied. 

It sure was being one long trek up this staircase with everything on their backs. The weight of it all made it seem even longer to get up there. 

Leo looked over the side, wondering why the Tribunal hadn’t gotten off the ship yet. “What do you think the Tribunal’s doing down there?” he asked. 

On the ship, the Tribunal all were gathered in a square. 

Deep voice said, “All is in its place. Let the journey finally begin.” 

All four of them used their powers to begin to raise the ship right out of the water! 

Leo was amazed at what he saw. “Whoa! Guys, look!” 

The others stopped to see what was happening. Some clouds came over the mountain and the ship went right through them. 

“No way!” Raph stated. 

“Totally excellent. That’s-” Mikey said. 

“Awesome!” Adam finished for him. 

The ship continued to rise far above their heads. “No one said there was an express elevator.” Mikey stated. “Come on, that’s not fair!” 

“Turtle luck running true to form.” Raph said and he marched on. They all had to continue on.   
…………….

It had taken them most of the day to get to the top of the staircase. They were ready to get to their destination so they could get all this heavy camping gear off their backs. Soon, they had reached the top, and saw a place that resembled a small village behind a dragon wall, on an air island. A bridge was the entryway. 

“I think I saw this place in bitter holes and nightmares.” Mikey said fearfully. 

“Save it, Mikey.” Leo reprimanded Mikey. 

The doors opened for them to enter. They all hesitated. 

“Think they have a payphone in there? Master Splinter has got to be worried.” Mikey stated. 

“He wouldn’t be the only one.” Leo replied. He and the others proceeded to go inside. There was no other place to go to at the moment. 

Once inside, they all chose a building to go into and went into it. When in there, they finally took off their accessories. 

“Acolytes!” the deep voice spoke up. The Tribunal was in here. A light began to shine from the floor. “Behold: the Lap of the Gods. The Tribunal Monistary. Your new home.” 

Lights came on to illuminate the whole room. They were all astonished at the looks of this place. 

“Sit! Time is short. An ancient evil that has been imprisoned for over a thousand years is threatening to return. You eight have been chosen to combat it.” the deep voiced man stated. 

The Tribunal all had thrones up on a higher area. There was a pool in front of their throne area, and eight sitting spots. The Acolytes all sat down. 

“Our enemy can wreck utter destruction through both mystical and physical means. You must be ready to combat it on all fronts.”

Then the soft voiced man rose. He put his hands together and did something, creating a magic ball. Then something happened. An amulet appeared on Farachi’s neck, and so on with all of them. “These are the amulets of the Acolyte. They will aid you to focus and to amplify your inner power. Your chi.” he explained. 

They all examined the amulets. “Great. Now we get dog collars.” Raph scoffed. 

The soft voiced man continued, “Perception is not always truth. All you think you know, about this world, about yourselves, even about reality itself, all this and more, will be challenged. Here, in the Lap of the Gods, you will learn secrets that have not been shared for mellenia. Secrets known only by we, of the Ninja Tribunal.” 

He went on, “I am Kon-Shisho, Ninjistu Master of Spirit.” His true form had long white hair, blue gray and red clothing, with some of them waving about. He had white glowing eyes. 

“This is Juto-Shisho, Ninja Master of Weapons.” Juto changed too. He had the dark blue colors. Now he had white and red clothing as well. His hair was black. His eyes glowed blue. He had been the deep voiced one. 

The one in green, the only female, punched the floor as she changed. “Chikara-Shisho, Ninja Master of Strength.” She wore all green clothing, with bandaged legs. Her eyes glowed green. Her hair was long and white. It was done up. 

“And Hisomi-Shisho, Ninja Master of Stealth.” He wore the golden clothes and golden eyes. He didn’t speak. He was also bald. He was the biggest shisho of them all. 

At least they all knew their names now. 

“All things will be explained, in time. As for training, it begins now.” Chikara took over. She put her hands together and made them kind of like a door. 

The Acolytes were curious about what this meant. Then, a light shined from behind them. “Uh oh. Every time they do that ninja patty cake thing, it means trouble!” Raph pointed out. There was now a set of doors before them. Chikara then made a move with her hands to part, and the doors opened up. 

They all had their weapons ready. “On your guard.” Farachi said. Then Don stepped forward and led them in. 

“Hey, guys. This looks like- YES!” Don shouted happily. 

It was a whole library of books. Don knew he was going to love this part. The others walked inside and saw there was no threat. “This doesn’t look like training to me. This looks more like-” Adam started to say, then Don finished for him, “studying.” 

Don went to go start looking around. 

“Studying!” Mikey whined. “Aw, man! I don’t suppose they have a comic book section.” Raph and Adam gave him odd looks. 

Everyone began to look through books all over the library. Leo and Don got some books and went to the table to read them. Mikey also had some and joined them. He found them too boring. 

“Leo, this is incredible!” Don said with a big smile. This was one of his favorite things to do. He would have been a top A student if he had been able to go to public school. It was all in Japanese. He could read other languages rather fluently. 

Leo was just as fascinated with the books too. “I know. Um, maybe you can translate this bit here for me?” he asked Don. He had come across something he couldn’t read. Don looked it over carefully. 

“Hmm. It’s all about focus and energy, but physically manifesting it. It’s like expressing your chi.” Don was unaware of his amulet glowing and some purple marks appeared on his body. “Your own life energy through sheer force of will.” 

Leo saw it and was a little nervous about what happened to his brother. “Uh, Don?” he pointed and backed off a bit. 

“All you have to do is… concentrate. Huh?” Don finally noticed and looked at the marks. They finally disappeared. 

“Whoa!” Don and Leo said in unison. That sure was something. It had never happened before. Then they heard snoring. They both looked down at Mikey, who was fast asleep, and drowling on one of the books. 

Mikey had always had a short attention span. They knew he would probably regret it later.   
……………

The next day, all the Acolytes were divided up for different tests. The Shishos tried to get their new students to take the training seriously and told them that the evil one would show no mercy to anyone or anything. 

The turtles and their human friends tried to do their best at the tests, but they were new to some of these tests and had never done anything like this before. Especially since some of these tests were all done in a form of magic. 

The Shishos were quite disappointed on the first few days of training. They began to wonder if the students they had selected were the right ones. If they couldn’t do these tests to train them to become ultimate warriors to battle the great evil, what worth were they to them?   
……………

About a week later, one late morning, the Acolytes reported to the main hall, the Lap of the Gods. They were all still wore out from the training and were still trying to get woke up. They were all plenty sore too. 

The lights came on. The Shishos started talking in cold voices. 

“We had hoped for more, Acolytes.” Chikara declared coldly. 

“Their efforts are unimpressive. Perhaps, we were mistaken. Perhaps, they are hopeless.” Kon stated, disappointedly. 

“Perhaps they are weak!” Juto added on angrily. “Do you not understand what is at stake?!” he exclaimed to their students. 

The Acolytes didn’t like what they were hearing. They didn’t want to be disappointments, but this was all new to them, and there was still much they didn’t know or understand what this was about, or who or what this great evil was. 

Then, a new voice spoke up, “How could they possibly understand what is at stake, when you have told them nothing?!” A shadow appeared at the entrance. 

The Acolytes turned around to see who it was. The turtles recognized that voice. 

The figure moved his hat away from his hidden face. “Master Splinter!” the turtles all gasped as their father had found them. It was a shock to see him, but a relief too. They were glad he was here. 

Some Bushis started coming down off the shelves and surrounded Splinter. Splinter bared his teeth in anger at them. 

“Protect Master Splinter!” Leo ordered, and he and his brothers jumped over to protect their father. The humans weren’t sure what to do. 

“Bring it on, block heads! I’ve been aching to break something all day!” Raph stated. 

“Enough!” Kon yelled. 

“The rodent is not permitted here, as it well knows.” Juto stated. 

“How did you come to find this monistary?” Chikara demanded. 

They all heard some running footsteps behind them and turned to see an old man running up. The Ancient One was trying to catch his breath, then he smiled as innocently as a child and waved, giggling nervously. 

Leo instantly recognized the Ancient One. His brothers didn’t know who this was. 

Three of the Tribunal sat down in defeat. Juto was still standing. “Pathetic.” he said coldly. 

The turtles were disappointed in their teachers. Adam came up behind them, “Dude, your sensei is a rat.” 

Splinter was in front of his sons. “Splinter, let us not make things harder than they need be. Your sons are safe. We should rest and then discuss this with a level head in the evening.” the Ancient One ran up to Splinter and suggested his idea. 

“There is no time for discussion, Young One.” Chikara stated. “The crisis we prepare for is upon on us now.” 

Kon then got up and summoned a spell with his hands and got a magic ball from the water. A picture appeared in it. It was a black and red ship. 

“The five heralds of the Dark One are coming. Heralds, with only one purpose; to reawaken their evil master.” Chikara explained. 

“They are after three artifacts. Ancient relics that will enable them to complete the Ritual of Resurrection. Two of the artifacts were stolen from us, and are already in the possession of their vile servants.” Kon explained next. 

The heralds all looked like elemental beings. Little did they know of who they really were, the original Foot Mystics. 

The Acolytes were learning more and this wasn’t good. 

“If the Mystics complete the ritual, a terrible evil will be unleashed upon the world.” Chikara stated. “This cannot be allowed!” 

“You mentioned a third artifact. Where is it?” Leo asked, stepping forward. 

“The third artifact is held safely here.” Juto said. 

“Then the Tribunal can continue to guard it, without my sons!” Splinter growled angrily. 

“Do not test us, Rodent. Beseech your sons if you must. It does not change the outcome.” Juto exclaimed. 

“Master, is Randall with you?” Mikey asked curiously. 

“No.” Splinter replied. 

Then the building began to shake and some pieces started to fall from the ceiling. “What the shell is that?!” Mikey yelled in fear. 

“No! How could they have moved so quickly?” Kon demanded. 

The shaking got worse and cracks started appearing on the walls, and debris was falling from the roof. 

“The Monistary is under attack!” Juto declared. 

“Acolytes! To your inner chambers! We will deal with the intruders ourselves!” Chikara ordered. The Tribunal withdrew their own weapons and tried to be prepared for battle. 

Hisomi tried to hold the doors shut to prevent entry of this enemy. Chikara thought she would take a rooftop approach, but she was attacked and imprisoned into a smoky ball that had her unconscious. 

Kon tried to free her, but he was attacked and held in the same way from the water attack. 

Juto looked around warily, and a third came down from the roof. Juto tried throwing weapons at it, but they went right through it. Juto was knocked unconscious too and held prisoner. 

The same thing happened to Hisomi as well, after it had broken through the doors. 

“They got the Tribunal!” Leo exclaimed. All the Acolytes took out their weapons for defense. “It’s just us now!”

“Yeah! Just us against what?” Raph demanded. 

They all looked up at the roof and it finally caved in, and up at the top was a creature that had fire for wings and its face. 

“Fools! They foretold the return of the Master. And now, they think they can stop it? The Master cannot be stopped!” He laughed evilly and roared. He formed a sword out of his own fire. “All who oppose the Master, will perish!” 

“Master Splinter, what is that thing?” Leo asked. 

“Hiyashy-archy, a fire demon!” Splinter exclaimed. 

The demon went on to attack them all and destroying the building bit by bit. 

Splinter pushed his sons away as debris came down on him and the Ancient One. 

“Master Splinter!” Leo cried out. He went up to his brothers. “Turtles! Attack!” he ordered, and the turtles all attacked. The demon just hit them away like they were nothing. He also did the same to Adam and Torra. 

“Torra’s down too.” Leo stated. “Mikey! Try to free the Tribunal!” he ordered Mikey. 

“On it!” Mikey replied and ran for the thrones, but the demon went after him and sliced the walls up, making them come down on him. 

Don and Leo gasped. “MIKEY!” Leo called out. 

Joy then threw and wrapped her weapon around the demon’s wrists, trying to disarm him. But he just pulled her into him. Her weapon dropped to the ground. 

“Joy!” Furaji cried out. He tried to get her back. Adam had already been put down too. Torra was up and next to Faraji. They both defended themselves from the demon’s powers as best they could. 

It came for Don next. He tried the usual way first, but then realized he had his amulet and he might be able to do something different. This was a magical being. Why not fight him with magic? 

“If I just concentrate.” he said. The same marks appeared as before as he focused. “Maybe I can…” a glow came from his body. It fanned into a flame that blocked the demon’s powers. It destroyed them coming at him. 

When the marks disappeared, Don laughed, and looked back at Leo. “Did you see that? Leo, we have to-” the tail of the demon came down on him. It wasn’t enough. 

“NO!” Leo cried out in despair. 

“We are all that remain. If we should fall…” Faraji declared. 

“We’ll make sure the shell that this thing falls with us!” Leo added. 

They both ran to attack the fire demon, only to be blown out by fire. They were both defeated. 

The monster laughed maniacally. “And it ends before it can even begin. Poor mortals. To think, they could stand a chance against the Master’s powers.” the demon stated greedily as he flew off into the night. 

Down below, two of the turtles, Leo and Raph laid on the floor, badly injured. They were barely conscious. 

“Raph? Raph, I’m sorry.” Leo said. Raph groaned. 

“We come all this way, and this is how it ends?” he winced in pain, closing his eyes. 

“We weren’t ready. How could we be? How could we fight this?” Leo asked in defeat. 

Then a white light appeared in his vision, as well as the others. 

Leo snapped awake in alarm, as did the others. “Leo?” Raph said. Leo looked at him. “What happened? We ain’t sliced, diced, or fricacied.” Raph exclaimed. 

“What the shell?” Mikey wondered the same thing. 

“Perception is not always truth. All you think you know, about this world, about yourselves, even about reality itself.” Chikara explained.

“All that will be challenged, and more.” Juto finished. 

“The sooner you learn this, the sooner you will be ready to face the task ahead.” Kon said. 

All the Shishos gathered on the throne area. Then Hisomi threw a smoke bomb and they all disappeared. 

Splinter and the Ancient One stood by the doorway. The rat growled at the Tribunal. He hated their deception in this. 

The Acolytes all looked at each other, wondering what it was they needed to do. “So, let me get this straight.” Mikey stated. “None of that was real?” 

“Brilliant deduction, Shell-for-Brains.” Raph mocked him. 

“Oh, it was real alright. It was our first real lesson with the Tribunal. And I have a feeling, there’s a lot more to learn.” Leo declared. 

And there would be. 

They were all excused for the night to go eat, talk, and relax for the night, to let everything sink in. 

While managing to eat dinner in the dining hall, Mikey asked his sensei, “Master Splinter, how come Randall didn’t come with ya?” he stuffed a sandwich into his mouth. 

Splinter didn’t feel like eating, but he just wanted to be there for his sons, he had missed them. It had been quite the journey here. 

“It was better if Randall stayed behind in New York, Michelangelo. Someone needed to help April and Casey. Someone had to tell them what had happened.” Splinter explained. 

The Ancient One was also introduced to Don, Mikey, and Raph. 

“It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Don said with a smile, bowing to the old man. 

“Leonardo told me much about you all.” Ancient One said. He could see the turtles had all grown into fine, young warriors. Splinter had taught them well in learning to fight. The things they were learning here was just another level to become even better warriors. He had known them a for a short while when they were little too, even though they didn’t remember. 

Leo still wanted to know more. So did Don. They just hoped that all this training would pay off in the end. But at the same time, it was for something that seemed so scary too. This would be the first time they would be dealing with some evil that was even far more powerful and dangerous than Bishop or the Utrom Shredder.


	44. Randall's Revenge

In New York, Randall had finally come up with his plan to take out Yogami. He had researched where the maniac was and he was going to take him out of the picture, permanently! 

He had also looked up what Splinter had mentioned. The Ninja Tribunal and found nothing on them. Oh well. Back to business. He would be sure to find out more about them when his friends returned. 

Randall knew that taking on an enemy alone was foolhardy, but this, he was sure he could do alone. He knew how to be sneaky and stealthy. 

Randall didn’t tell April where he was going in person, but he left a note saying he was going on a patrol by himself and would be back when he got back, should she come down to the basement looking for him. 

The Dark Dragons had moved their facility from Queens to the Bronx, that was real close to Coney Island. After their other facility had been somewhat destroyed, they had sought new lodgings. 

Randall stuck to the rooftops or sides of buildings. He stayed invisible mostly. He only allowed his eyes and mouth to become visible. 

It was a long walk to where he needed to go, it took a couple days in fact for him to get there. He saw that those dirty Dragons had another tall building for their headquarters. But all Randall wanted was their leader. He was doing this for his friends, and he didn’t know if they would come back alive or not. 

Under cover of darkness, and staying invisible, not knowing if they kept cameras on the outside of the walls or not, he was able to make his way to the top on the outside. He snuck inside when he reached the top. 

He knew who Yogami was. He just needed to get him in his most easy form, without his armor on. The turtles had told him that they had taken him on when they had been trying to save Don’s life a few weeks ago. But aside from when Yogami wasn’t in his armor, he also wanted to get him when his guard was completely down. 

Randall saw the top office that this was indeed, Yogami’s own personal office and home part of the building. He didn’t see anyone around for the moment. He had learned better patience techniques from the turtles and Splinter. He made himself visible for a few moments and kept to the ceiling. But, when he heard sounds coming from the door, he vanished. 

Yogami came into the room, talking to one of his associates. “So, you’re telling me the turtles haven’t been around?” he asked. 

“Yes, Sir.” the man replied. 

“I’m sure they’re still around. Find them! They will pay for what they stole from me!” Yogami exclaimed. 

“But didn’t you steal the Heart of Tengu from Karai?” 

“She had no use for those Mystics. I did though.” Yogami said. 

Randall realized the crystal the turtles had stolen from Yogami might have been this Heart of Tengu they were talking about, but he didn’t care about that. From what he was hearing, this maniac needed to be dealt with even more so. 

“Thanks for your report, but tomorrow, you all will go out and search for the turtles again.” Yogami ordered. “Leave me.” 

“Yes, Sir. Goodnight.” the man said, and left the office. 

As late as it was, around one in the morning, it sounded like Yogami was going to be heading for bed. Randall grinned slyly. Perfect! He stayed perfectly quiet as he followed the evil human to his bed chamber. Yes, this would be the perfect place to get him. 

He watched as the man changed into this bedtime clothes and he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and such. Randall took the opportunity to get down off the wall and under the bed so he could let himself be visible for a few moments. He had to keep his blending under control, and long periods of blending often had to be met with a break from it too, every here and there. 

Randall heard Yogami in the bathroom, shuffling around as he made himself visible. He didn’t want the man to see him until the last possible moment. He could get him when he fell asleep, but then, getting access to what he needed would be better while he was awake. But since this guy was a highly skilled fighter, he had to tread carefully. 

Yogami finally came out of the bathroom, yawning. He didn’t know he had company in his room. He was ready for some much needed rest and to begin anew to hunt down the turtles tomorrow. He had his guard down for the moment. Randall vanished and got out from under the bed. 

He sat down on the bed, about ready to pull the blankets over himself when he heard a soft, raspy-like voice, “You will never get a chance to hunt down the turtles again.” 

Yogami jumped up in a hurry. “Who’s there?!” he demanded. He looked around and didn’t see anything. 

The voice chuckled. “You think you are such a powerful person. You think you have the right to rule the world, and you don’t let anything stand in your way, regardless of who you hurt.” 

“Whoever you are, show yourself, you coward!” Yogami demanded angrily. 

“That’s what you are. Especially after what you did to Leonardo.” the voice stated seriously. 

“I still aim to take that turtle down! He is a big sentimental fool! They are all disgusting creatures that belong in a swamp, not here in this city!” Yogami said. He went for a knife that was under his pillow. But how could this person know about that? “Now show yourself!” 

“Your orders have no sway over me. You are such a stupid, pathetic waste!” Randall repeated what he had said to Sullivan a long time ago. 

“Where are you?! Who are you?!” Yogami demanded. He thought it was one of the Foot Tech ninjas. “If you are one of the ninjas, I will make you suffer for your insubordination!” 

“I’m not even in your employ, you lying snake!” 

Yogami began trying to sense around him, but then, he felt a whip-like whack on his legs and then he fell to the floor, knocking the knife from his hand. He fell on his face. He tried to go for the knife again. He grabbed it and got up. He began slashing at the air. 

Randall stayed low. He then stood upright. He was ready for the kill. He knew that simply scaring this guy wasn’t enough. As the evil leader, Randall had to take him out permanently. 

The man was scared. He was fighting something or someone he couldn’t see. His armor was elsewhere. Then he tried running for the door. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Randall said and he ran after him, and body blocked him, making him fall. He used his tail to whack him in the face. It made Yogami teeter a moment and hold his face.

Yogami started going mad, slashing at every direction. “Where are you?!” he demanded. 

“I’m the last thing you’ll ever see.” Randall said. 

Randall knew to make his move when the man had to catch his breath. Yogami couldn’t find him. 

Yogami couldn’t see or smell what was hunting him this night. Then he was grabbed from behind, the knife forced out of his hand, and he was wrestled to the floor. He struggled to get away. He heard grunting and growling from his attacker. The body was longer than his and he felt his neck start to be constricted. 

He tried to grab at what was holding his throat, but he couldn’t when his arms were restrained. 

Randall’s front legs and lower arms were restraining his arms as his upper body was wrapping around his neck and Randall tightened his elastic body around him. 

Yogami could feel a scaly surface, but he was desperate to free himself. His legs flailed like crazy. The grip continued to tighten. 

Soon, Yogami couldn’t take anymore and his neck snapped under the pressure. He stopped flailing about and went limp in Randall’s grip. 

Randall pulled one last time to make sure he was dead. “Die, you freaking asshole!” he snapped. When the body moved no more, Randall finally let go. 

He stepped away from the body of Yogami. The eyes were wide open in solid terror. “You deserved to die as the evil human you were.” Randall growled at the dead human. “Rot in hell!” he said, and then went to find his way out. He made sure to stay invisible. 

The Dark Dragons would be sure to find their fallen leader tomorrow when he either started smelling bad, or when he didn’t show up to his meetings. Randall didn’t care about that though. 

Randall was just glad that he had avenged Leonardo’s torture from months ago, that had nearly destroyed the poor turtle. And none of them would ever have to worry about Yogami again. Now, he also wanted to sort something else out before he went home.   
…………….

After it had been a couple of days since Randall had left, April was really worried about him. He had left his phone here at home so there was no way to track him down. She had Casey try to track him down. 

Casey had an idea of where Randall went: to the new lair of the Dark Dragons. He drove his motorcycle there to find out. 

Yogami would later be found the next day when he didn’t show up to his meetings.   
…………….

Randall had made it a good distance away from the Dark Dragon’s headquarters. He was exhausted. Doing what the turtles would do if they were a good distance away from home, he found an empty wooden water towel and settled into it for some rest. His next aim was to head to the Foot headquarters. He had a goal of talking to Karai. 

He did want to go home after accomplishing his goal, but talking to Karai was something he had to do to justify it for his friends. For however long they would be gone. 

He slept well into the next morning and Yogami’s death was on the news, that something had murdered him in cold blood.  
……………. 

April saw the broadcast, and it worried her. She had a feeling Randall had done it, but she couldn’t blame him for doing it. But if he was caught, it wouldn’t be so easy to track him down. She began to think of a way that would be easier than just a phone, because he didn’t carry his phone with him most of the time on missions. Maybe a transmitter under the skin would be better for him. She would talk to him when he got home. 

Casey came back that morning and told her that Randall still wasn't back. 

“I’m sure he’s on his way back if he killed the Dark Dragons’ leader. I couldn't find him around there when I looked.” Casey said. 

“I know he is too.” April replied. “I just don’t want him to wind up in a lab somewhere. The turtles aren’t here to help this time.” 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He knows how to be a sneaky lizard.” Casey said. 

“True, but humans with the technology they use are capable of using heat seeking vision too, like what Don uses. You’ve used it on the Foot Tech ninjas.” April declared. 

“Yeah, and it was wicked cool!” Casey proclaimed. 

“All we can do is wait and give him the time he needs to come home, but when he does, he is going to be in for one big lecture from me!” April contempted. 

“I could go and try to find him again.” Casey said, but then he stumbled. April caught him. 

“You aren’t going anywhere right now, Casey Jones. You are going to get some sleep first. You’ve been out all night.” she scolded. She helped him to the couch and got him to take his weapons and mask off. She tucked him onto the couch so he could fall asleep. “You can try tonight.” she said. 

“Thanks, babe.” he smiled. 

“Goodnight.” April said. She went to go down to her shop to start her workday while Casey slept on her couch.   
…………….

When nightfall came, Randall was up and about. He left the water tower. He was fully energized since he had gotten a full nine hours of sleep. He felt a little discomfort in his ribs from having done what he did last night, but didn’t regret doing it. He had done it for the greater good; to protect his family. 

He headed towards the Foot house, where he knew that Karai lived. It was in the middle of Chinatown. It was quite a ways from Queens. But he would force himself to make the journey. He would get food and drinks as needed along the way. This city was just so huge. If you didn’t drive a vehicle, it could take you days to get anywhere. 

Within the next day or so was when he got to Chinatown. He only traveled at night so there were a lot less humans to worry about. If he had to cross a bridge, he would go on the side or under it to cross it. He would not risk being seen by humans. 

When Karai’s building was within his sights, he made sure he was well rested. He didn’t want to be taken by surprise. He had to be prepared for anything. 

Randall snuck into the building from the entryway. He made mental notes so he would remember which way to go later to get out when he was ready to leave. 

He soon found Karai’s office. He went in to see if she was in. He actually lucked out. She was in. Now would be a good time to talk to her. He had never officially talked to her on his own yet, and hoped she was the reasonable ally that Leonardo claimed her to be. 

Karai was just going over some paperwork for one of her business meetings to take place in a few days. She began to sense a presence around her. She looked around, but saw nothing. 

“Whoever you are, I can sense you watching me.” Karai said. 

Randall was on the ceiling currently. “I come with news, Karai, and to ask something important.” 

“Speak.” she said. 

“I have come to know of what you know of the ninja known as Yogami.” Randall stated. 

“Why do you want to know?” she asked. 

“Because I have come on the behalf of my friends, the Turtles. I want to know who this maniac was.” Randall stated. 

“I know he previously worked for my father. He didn’t like it when I took over his organization of the Foot Clan. He rebeled against me and left, and he had recruited many of my ninjas to his resolve. He started his own ninja clan, the Dark Dragons.” Karai explained. 

“Have you recently heard what happened to him?” Randall demanded. 

“I have heard he was murdered a few days ago. Served him right. I tried to punish him for going against me, but he got away before it could take place.” she explained. 

“Well, he certainly didn’t get away from me.” 

“Just who are you, anyway?” Karai asked. 

“Leonardo says that you are an honorable ally. Can I trust your word?” Randall asked. “Leonardo is truly honorable and keeps his promises.” 

“Yes. I am honorable. I give you my word.” she replied honestly. 

Randall came down off the ceiling and that was when he finally revealed himself to her. He had looked around and saw no other ninjas and had tasted the air too. She was alone. 

Karai was a little mystified, but remained calm. “I have seen you before. I never have gotten your name.” she said. “And I have been told of you, the lizard that runs with the turtles.” 

“The name’s Randall Boggs.” he introduced himself. “Just Randall’s fine. And I also came to ask of what the Heart of Tengu is?” 

Karai frowned. “It was stolen from me.” 

“Yogami stole it. I overheard him before he died.” Randall said. “He had wanted big plans to do with the Foot Mystics, not that I’ve ever seen them. But what was it for?” 

“It is a crystal artifact that enables whoever possesses it to control the Foot Mystics. Their powers are very useful in the right way. They can do many things that are impossible for the typical mortal. I would have had my own plans for them as needed. But why have you come about this?” she demanded. 

“I came because the turtles had to get a crystal gem away from Yogami to save their brother, Donatello’s life. I didn’t go along with them for the taking of it, but I saw it briefly when they gave it to Agent Bishop.” 

“What?! No! There is no telling what that evil man will do with the Mystics’ power! If they are unleashed should he even destroy it, there would be tremendous chaos throughout the world! This cannot be allowed to happen!” Karai exclaimed. 

Randall’s eyes widened. Now it was clear. The turtles had only done what they were told to do to save Don’s life, they had no idea what it was they had been swiping. 

“We can’t get by without Donatello. His brothers were told it was the price they had to pay to save Donatello. How Bishop got the coordinates was unknown to us. Someone had to have told him.” Randall stated. “Believe me. My friends would have no intention of betraying your trust.” 

“And you know Yogami is dead?” she asked. 

“As a ninja lizard, I took him out of the picture for the greater good.” Randall stated. “He was too dangerous to be left alive. I only kill to justify the means.” 

“I can agree with you, but then, with what you have told me, it is possible that we need to start preparing for what might be unleashed should the Mystics be unleashed. They might come after me. Thank you for your news, Randall-san.” she said. 

Randall hadn’t heard that surname added to his name much, although Usagi had called him that once. In the respect that he had learned of some Japanese culture, he bowed his head to her. 

“I had to know these things and to bring you the news of Yogami’s death, and why I did it.” Randall said. 

“I understand. But make haste. I must start preparing now. And tell the turtles to do the same.” she decreed. 

“I would if I could, but I can’t. They were kidnapped and taken to somewhere in Japan.” he said. 

“I am from Japan. I might be able to help find them.” she said. 

“The Ancient One said that the kidnappers will not be easy for just anyone to find them. I tried to look them up, and even I don’t know where they are. I don’t even know who they are, but the Turtles’ sensei, Master Splinter did. He went to find them. I haven’t heard from him in many days.” Randall explained. 

“Did he say who they were?” she asked. 

“Some special ninjas called the Ninja Tribunal.” he replied. 

“I have heard of them. They are very powerful Mystics themselves. If they are indeed the kidnappers, then they took the turtles for a reason. A powerful reason.” Karai proclaimed. 

“I wonder what for then? But I won’t keep you. I’m sure you have much business going on. I need to go. But can I trust you that you are our ally?” Randall asked. 

“Yes. Thank you for your news, Randall-san.” Karai said. “Maybe we can work together someday soon.” 

“We’ll see.” Randall replied. Then he left the room. He vanished on his way out. 

Karai then went to inform her organization to start getting prepared for what could possibly be coming soon in a matter of months. It could be possible to prevent it, but if the chaos was unleashed, the whole world would pay the ultimate price.  
…………….

Randall felt a tremendous relief after getting that talk off his shoulders. Karai had seemed pretty reasonable to him. And then, he had revealed what had happened to Yogami and what had happened to the Heart of Tengu. He hoped she wasn’t going to betray his friends, or him. Randall had been betrayed all his life, but then, the turtles had had their fair share of it too. That’s what made him fit into their family so well. 

Now that his business was taken care of, he could finally head home again. He started to head to Central Park. He wanted to check on the lair too. He was ready for a long rest. 

He got to the lair just as the sun was rising the next morning. Mostly everything looked fine, but it was so empty without the mutant family there to give it that taste of life in it. April had taken in Mikey’s cat once again as well. 

Randall slept the day down in the lair, just happy to be in a real bed again. He tried to dream of his friends and what they could be doing. He had no way of knowing when they would come home again. He missed them. 

Once the evening came on, Randall awoke and he checked things over in the lair, and it was all fine. Then he went to Splinter’s room and took that exit to the sewers so he could head back home to April’s basement. Even if he faced a lecture from her, he had his reasons for leaving. He would get things worked out with her.   
……………

When he once again reached April’s basement apartment, it felt like a relief to be home again. He felt like he had been gone for so long, and he had been. He had been gone for a week and a half. He was more than ready to be back. He knew he had to face the wrath of April, and possibly, Casey too. 

Even though Randall had swiped food and drinks as he went along on his trip, he had lost a little weight too from all the exercise he had gotten over the week and a half he was constantly on the move. 

Randall glanced at the ceiling and sighing. He knew he needed to go face April sooner or later. He took a deep breath and went upstairs. He made sure it was safe. He took the spiral steps in her shop, going up invisibly, then appearing at the very top, poking his head up cautiously. 

He saw April watching TV for any signs of a lizard or waiting for Casey to call to tell her he had found him. Randall cleared his throat loudly. “Excuse me, April.” he said. 

April heard him. She turned her head towards the stairs. It was Randall! At last! 

She got up and went over to the stairs, peering down at the hesitant lizard. “Randall Boggs! You get up here this instant!” she ordered sternly. She pointed her right hand straight down to the floor, meaning she meant business. 

Her tone of voice made him flinch. No one had used his name like that in a long time. It was almost like she was his mother in that instant. He slowly came up off the stairs and stood in front of her. His fronds were flat against his head in submission.

“Where have you been for the last week and a half, Mister?” she demanded angrily. 

“I was taking care of some business.” he replied nervously. 

“What kind of business? We were worried something had happened to you!” 

“I’m fine. See? Not a scratch on me.” he showed his body to her. 

“You never take your phone with you, and I was so worried about you. The turtles aren’t here right now to save you if you get into trouble. It’s only Casey, Leatherhead, and me. You have to be more careful, Randall.” April stated. 

“I was careful. I had to take care of Yogami. He had been nothing but trouble ever since we finished off the Shredder. I was doing what Leo wanted to do for so long, but never did. Now he’ll never bother us again.” Randall explained. He finally lifted his fronds, feeling April was calmer. 

“You killed Yogami?” she asked, surprised. “I saw on the news he had been killed.” 

“Yes. I did. Then I had to pay Karai a visit. And I learned something startling. When the turtles took that crystal gem from Yogami to save Don’s life at the time, Karai explained to me what it was for. It was to control the Foot Mystics, and if it should be destroyed, our world will be in serious trouble, April. They could resurrect some ancient evil from the past.” he explained. “Karai also said she’d be willing to help try to find the turtles in Japan, but starting to prepare for this evil relic seemed more urgent.” 

“If she truly is our ally, then she should try to use all efforts necessary to help our friends.” April insisted. 

“I might be able to contact Leo or Splinter on the astral plane too. They say there are no issues to reach out to someone that way.” Randall said. 

“Try anything to get in contact with them if you can. I’m gonna call Casey and let him know you are back. Oh, and before you do anything else, I have to suggest something, Randall.” she said. 

“What?” he asked. 

“With the way you go off on your own, or with the turtles and you don’t take your phone with you like they do, usually, if you were to ever fall into trouble by yourself, can we put a tracker on you?” she asked. 

“I could wear it where I saw fit.” he said. 

“It would need to be in a place where humans are not likely to look. Scientists might try to scan for a microchip on you or something. But we would need to put it where they would least expect it to be.” she stated. 

“But where are you suggesting?” 

“What about behind your one of your front legs?” she suggested. 

Randall’s eyes widened. He really didn’t want a tracker in his body. “I don’t know, April.” he said. 

“Randall, you need a way for us to be able to track you down if you are ever in trouble. You can be the most elusive of my reptile friends.” April said. 

“True.” he grinned. 

“Leatherhead has a microchip ready to implant under your skin. It won’t show or anything and he’ll numb the area before he injects it into you.” she said. “Go on to his place and get it.” 

“I didn’t say I was going to get it right now, April. I just got back and just want to stay home for now.” Randall said. 

“Alright. You can relax tonight, but I am going to insist you get it tomorrow. Even LH and Casey were in agreement with it.” she said. 

“Okay, thanks.” he replied, then went downstairs to his apartment. He got a meal out of his freezer after his stomach growled for food. 

The more he thought about it, though it did give him the willies about it some, but April had seemed to have a point. Since he didn’t carry his phone around because it would get in the way of his invisibility, Randall did come to the realization that maybe she was right. It might be better to have a tracker under his skin for just if in an emergency. He could be tracked down in the Battle Shell or on the hand held tab. 

He ate and rested till the next day, where he then went to Leatherhead’s home and the croc numbed the area behind his left front leg. Then the croc put the chip in it and injected it under the skin. 

Randall looked to see there was no bump giving off the tracker’s information. He didn’t see a tiny fraction of a bump showing it was there. That was good. 

Leatherhead even wanted to test the tracker. He had Randall go a certain distance in the sewer, and using the hand held tracking tab, the croc tracked the lizard quite accurately. It was a success. Now he would be able to be tracked should he ever get captured. 

Randall just didn’t want anyone to get carried away with tracking him down all the time.


	45. Demons and Dragons

Back in Japan, after having rested for the night and had breakfast, the team of eight acolytes went to the meeting place for their Shisho. They never knew who it was going to be. Sometimes they could be trained as a whole team, or they would be split up into different teams.

“Last one to ninja class is a rotten acolyte!” Mikey joked.

“Yeah, another day full of laughs with the Ninja Tribunal. Hold me back.” Raph retorted.

“Well, we’re here. Where is our Shisho?” Adam asked.

“Hope it’s not Juto. Your lack of skill and ranking breath make me want to retch.” Mikey joked. “Or, check it, Hisomi-Shisho: the ninja who ate Japan! Hmm! Hmm!” he started pawing the air, making it look like a monster trying to hunt the people of Japan.

Some of the others laughed at the joke, but when they saw Hisomi show up, they all bowed in respect. They knew when to quit.

“Send more sushi.” Mikey went on.

“Mikey! Psst!” Leo tried to warn his brother, but he didn’t hear him.

Mikey laughed maniacally, and then he saw how all the others had bowed their heads, making him realize his mistake. He gulped. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” he asked. Then he turned around, to see Hisomi glaring at him and crossing his arms furiously.

“Heh, heh, heya, Teach.” Mikey chuckled nervously. Hisomi then started walking off. “Does this go on my permanent record? Hisomi-san?” Mikey asked.

Hisomi continued to say nothing.

All of the acolytes followed him to a bridge. It had the formation of dragons around it.

Hisomi gestured with his left arm to the bridge, and then a motion with his right hand, two of his fingers in a walking motion.

The acolytes could see that perhaps Hisomi wanted them to walk across the bridge, but do what?

Then Hisomi held up his right hand with three fingers, and he started taking them down, one at a time. And again, the friends all looked at each other and shrugging. They didn’t know what he wanted or was saying.

“Um, Hisomi-Shisho, I don’t understand.” Mikey spoke up, then he felt a smack from behind him. “OW!” he turned around and saw the Ancient One behind him.

“If you spent less time talking, and more time thinking, perhaps you would.” the Ancient One advised, a bit irritated. He bowed to the Shisho. “Master Hisomi.” Hisomi bowed to him too.

“Ancient One.” Leo said.

The little man jumped down from the rock that he had been on. “I will assist Hisomi-Shisho, as I too was once a student in the Shadow Art of Stealth.” he walked by the turtles.

The turtles’ eyes widened. That meant the Tribunal was even older than the Ancient One.

“Hisomi-Shisho does not speak, for he embodies the three bodies of Ninjutsu: Speed, Secrecy, and Silence, Michelangelo.” the Ancient One translated for Hisomi’s three finger movements.

Mikey tried to say something, but the man stopped him, “Blessed silence.” The turtle silenced himself and closed his eyes.

Hisomi gestured to the bridge again. Ancient One translated for him, “He says today, you will learn how to cross the honored Tatsu Bridge, two hundred yards long, and do so, unseen.”

That seemed impossible. Don examined the scene and spoke up next, “Zero cover, direct sun, creaky old boards…” Then there was a ZOOM of wind, making them all gasp.

Hisomi was on the other side of the bridge! And he hadn’t made a sound! It had all been done in the blink of an eye at super speed!

“No way!” Don said.

“Yes way, young turtle.” Ancient One replied.

“Whoa!” Mikey added.

“Incredible.” Faraji agreed.

“That did not just happen!” Don exclaimed, putting a hand on his head.

“All things are possible when mind, body, and spirit are harnessed to think the same task.” Ancient One explained just as Hisomi made his way back over like before.

“That did not just happen again!” Don said again. He was still in disbelief.

Hisomi then waved his arm over. “Hisomi-Shisho requires a volunteer.” came the translation.

Leo and Faraji automatically stepped forward.

Behind them, Raph said in a low voice to Mikey, “Hard to be silent when you’re making all those sucking up noises, Leo.” Raph joked. Mikey was smiling up until Hisomi stepped up to him and Raph. Even Raph gasped at that.

Hisomi put a finger on Mikey’s head. The turtle gulped nervously. “Oh boy.” he walked over to the bridge nervously. He couldn’t help but think that Randall, who had been left behind in New York, could do this for sure. He was good at stealth.

The Ancient One began to explain on how to do the task, “Focus inward, Michelangelo. See the world as only light, and fog.” Hisomi pointed at the amulet he wore. “Find your chi, and imagine it to be rushing wind. Powerful, free flowing, invisible, and serious for once, yes.” he gave a scold on that last remark. Then he walked back to the other acolytes.

“How are we going to learn anything from all the way back here?” Leo asked.

“Safety precaution, Leonardo. Remember your Japanese. Tatsu means?” the old man asked.

“Dragon.” Leo replied. “The Dragon River.”

Mikey began to begin his focusing. “Okay, breathing. Feeling the stealth. Sneak into my heart. Kind of.” Hisomi pushed him towards the bridge. “Hey! I’m focusing here!” he snapped, then closed his eyes. “Silent, stealthy.” he thought to himself out loud.

He had found his chi too, as the amulet glowed and it allowed some special orange marks to appear on Mikey’s body. Just as it had done to Don a few days ago. He began to step onto the bridge.

His brothers couldn’t believe they were seeing this.

Mikey was so quiet and not making a sound on an old bridge! He grinned proudly, then showed off, dropping his concentration and the chi marks disappeared. When he stepped next, there was a loud creak in the board, making it echo. Then there was a loud growl from below.

Mikey tensed and looked over the bridge. “Okay, whatever that is, it doesn’t sound good.” Then he saw a big blue creature come up at him. “Ah! It’s not good! It’s not good!” he backed away from the edge.

A giant, blue serpent-like dragon came up out of the water and started spinning around the bridge. “Oh shell!” Mikey whimpered as it started coming at him. He screamed in terror.

The dragon began spinning around the bridge again. Even the others were at a loss of what to do, but they would try to help him anyway. They took out their weapons. “Mikey needs our help!” Leo exclaimed.

“Form a perimeter.” Faraji suggested.

The dragon tried to get Mikey, but he dodged. The tail of the dragon ended up striking Leo and Faraji away as if they were flies.

“Leo! Faraji!” Joy cried out.

“Let’s kick some shell!” Raph ordered. He and the remaining standing ones tried to help Mikey, but the dragon came down at them too and he turned into water. The rest of them were pushed away hard into the rockside, or were grabbed in his tail’s coils.

“Let ‘em go!” Mikey demanded. “I’m the one who touched your stupid bridge!” He was willing to make the sacrifice. The dragon started coming at him again, making him cringe.

But when the attack didn’t result in anything painful, Mikey opened his eyes and he saw Hisomi in front of him, stopping the dragon. The dragon snorted.

Hisomi bowed to the dragon, and the dragon did likewise. Then he flew into the air and turned into rainwater. Mikey clutched Hisomi’s leg.

“Wow. You? Wow.” Mikey exclaimed. It was only water.

The other acolytes began regaining their senses. They were all bruised up from the attack.

“Um, Hisomi-san, can I have a do-over?” Mikey asked. He could see the disappointed look on the Shisho’s face, but then, there was a hard whack on his head. He turned and saw the Ancient One with a bamboo stick in his hands, shaking his head angrily.

“Geez, tough crowd.” Mikey rubbed his head.

On the way back to the monistary, Mikey said, “I bet Randall could perfect what I was trying to do.”

“Of course he could, Mikey. Randall’s used to being stealthy when he has to be. And he has a serious attitude about it.” Raph reminded him.

The Ancient One still didn’t know all that much about Randall and all his abilities. For right now, he had to concentrate on the turtles and their training. The rest of the acolytes wondered more about this Randall they spoke of. They were told more about him. 

For Leo, he was glad that at least this time he wasn’t going through special training alone. And this time, he wasn’t here because of bad behavior. But why had this come about at all anyway?

When they got back, Don got some ice and put it in a pack for Mikey’s throbbing head. Then everyone was allowed to split up to relax for the day. The turtles, Ancient One, and Splinter all met up in the room in which they stayed together.

Splinter was furious when he heard what had happened.

“If the Tribunal thinks a water burping dragon is a teaching aid, then sign me up for home schooling.” Mikey complained. He had the ice on his head and took it off for a moment.

Splinter pushed the ice pack back on Mikey’s head. “I can’t believe you were sent against the Tatsu Spirit! It was rash and careless.” he pointed out angrily.

The Ancient One knew Splinter had a grudge against what was going on.

“What’s your beef with the Tribunal anyway, Sensei?” Raph asked. Don wanted to know too.

“Old wounds are slow to heal.” Splinter replied. “Learn what you can from the Tribunal, for you will need it when the Dark One comes to battle, but remember, they will not hesitate to sacrifice you if serves their purpose! So here, more than ever, you must stick together as a family. Promise me, my sons.”

“Yes, Master Splinter.” the turtles all said in unison.

Every day, there was only one lesson per day, so if especially something had been painful, at least the acolytes could have some time to recover and take in what they had learned.

The next morning, it was Juto’s turn to supervise and advise. They were in a workout arena so to speak.

“The weapon is not simply a tool.” he began. “It is an extension of skill, of body. I can only pray that the great darkness never comes. But, if it does, you cannot fight it with bits of tin and wood. You need stronger weapons! Built to strike at your enemies, both physically and mystically!” he exclaimed, and a blue magical whip appeared from an arm of his and he reached into the ground.

Something began coming up from the ground. They all hoped they weren’t going to be attacked again.

What came up looked like another dragon sculpted head, along with hands. Then, fire erupted in its mouth.

“It is the Spirit Forge, maggots.” Juto introduced the forge. “Fueled by the breath of four great dragons.”

“Shisho, or no Shisho, he better lay off that maggot business!” Raph growled angrily. He knew what they were really, and he hated bugs. He wasn’t going to let this idiot insult him and the others as being compared to maggots.

“Those worthy will find what they seek within. Those unworthy; incomprehensible pain. Now! Who dares?!” Juto challenged.

They all looked at each other in worry.

“No one? Ha! I should have expected as much, from the rodent’s misbegotten pets.” Juto scoffed.

That made Raph snap. “That does it! I know you’re not talkin’ smackers on Master Splinter! You want worthy? Then get ready for mean and green.” Raph challenged. He stepped up to the forge.

The fire started getting larger and it engulfed him.

“Raph! No!” his brothers all exclaimed.

When the fire loosened down again, Raphael stood there with his own new chi marks, and a new weapon. “That didn’t tickle.” he said.

“Well done, Simpleton. Indignant rage suits you. Show me what the forge gifts has granted.” Juto ordered.

Raph turned and showed off his new weapon. “I got this.” It was a weapon that had some blades on both ends attached to wooden sticks that were attached by a chain.

“Banrai! I cannot believe it!” Juto smiled proudly. He turned to the others. “Worms! Use the forge, now!” he demanded.

All the others came forward and put their hands into the forge, with serious looks on their faces to show it that they were worthy. Leo was the only one who didn’t this time because there was no more room. But he would go after them. He wanted to see what they all got first.

“Excellent. The forge has granted you great gifts.” Juto said.

Leo saw they all had something. Now it was his turn.

“By the gods. Inezuma: which commands lightning from the heavens. Byakko: the hungry ghost who calls the cleaving wind. Banrai: which can shatter mountains with its thunder. Gunshin: which commands the white flame of the Dragon King.” Juto stated of some of the weapons’ powers.

Don had the Byakko. Mikey had the Inezuma. Faraji had the Gunshin. Adam had the War Hammer. Joy had a Staff. And Torra had Sickles.

Leo began approaching and Juto pushed him out of the way as he stated, “These are Fangs of the Dragon, forged for champions. Legends!”

“What about Leo?” Faraji asked.

Juto glared at Leo, daring him to try his luck.

Leo went to the forge and kneeled, expecting to get a weapon too, but instead, the flames went out on him. He didn’t like this. “What happened? What does that mean?” he asked.

Juto just turned away from him with no explanation. He began talking again, “With the Fangs of the Dragon at your command, you’ll discover powers rescendant of your wildest imaginings.” Juto explained.

Leo looked back at the forge, hoping it would come back on, but it didn’t. It looked like he was still stuck with his normal katanas. But did it mean something more?

Then, there was some shaking and a whisk of wind as the other three Shishos rushed into the room. “Juto-Shisho! The first artifact has been found!” Chikara declared.

“The one that was stolen?” Raph asked.

Kon then jumped down. “The artifact lies on the banks of the Kuiwashi River. Guarded by Kapa Tengu.”

“The dark one’s heralds are poised to claim our prize!” Chikara yelled angrily.

“Excuse me. Did she say, ‘demons?’ Mikey asked, scared.

“The appearance of the Fangs is an omen.” Juto said. “Send the urchins.” he demanded.

“Do not return without the cask. For if it falls into the hands of the dark one’s heralds, they will be one step closer to resurrecting their master.” Kon explained how urgent it was.

They were told where to go to get the artifact back in location. The eight acolytes ran to get on the ship they had come on, only this time, they were fly-sailing it.

“We won’t fail you.” Faraji assured the Shishos, and Splinter was standing with them as the ship departed.

Splinter walked forward worridly. He hoped his sons and their friends returned safely. He looked back at the Tribunal, who just turned and went back inside. All they could do was wait.

Faraji flew and landed the ship at a place that was close to where they were supposed to go. Then they stealthily went to go find the artifact’s cask. They soon came to the river where it was said to be. The acolytes hid in the bushes alongside the river.

There were a bunch of ugly blue-green monsters in the river guarding the cask sitting on a rock in front of a waterfall. They all had shells, somewhat in the shape of a turtle’s shell, but with spikes coming out of it. They had webbed fins sticking off their arms, and they had sharp teeth too.

“There it is, the stolen artifact.” Don pointed out.

“And a whole lot of ugly.” Raph added.

“Come on, Raph. That’s no way to talk about your real family.” Mikey joked. He did often call Raph ugly as it was.

“They are Kapa Tengu. River demons.” Torra said.

“I forgot to bone up on demonology before we were shanghaied. Any ideas?” Don asked.

“Hit hard.” Leo said, with Faraji adding, “Hit fast.”

They all smiled, knowing they had each other’s backs. Then Mikey had an idea.

“I know, stealth mode. I’ll pull a Hisomi and snatch the cask at ninja speed before Bobo can say banana!” Mikey declared, holding his amulet.

“Having a fancy pair of chucks doesn’t make you Hisomi, Mikey. Let’s stay in the real world.” Leo stated.

Mikey put his Inezuma away before he began focusing. “Real world this.” his marks appeared again. He zoomed up to the rock where the cask was, and none of the demons had even seen him!

“How cool is that? I love being a turtle!” Mikey shouted happily. He had lost his focus once again, and the marks disappeared.

But that was when the demons noticed him from him shouting. Mikey saw them advancing on him and he acted like a monkey.

The other acolytes came out of hiding. “Alright, it’s go time. Get Mikey and grab the artifact!” Leo ordered, and he jumped into the fray. The others followed him into the water.

The Kapa Tengus noticed them too and vanished into the water. The acolytes were shocked.

“Huh? Where’d they-?” Leo asked.

The demons suddenly appeared again, surrounding the eight friends. And in way more numbers than before.

“Someone tell me that’s Kapa for, we surrender?” Raph asked.

The Tengus roared at them. The friends charged and tried to fight the demons, but the demons changed into water quite a bit.

Leo dealt with one, but it got away from him. Two more grabbed onto Adam. “The water! They can travel through the water!” he exclaimed. Mikey got knocked away from it next.

None of them were faring well against them. Raph and Joy were running for the rock next. They were both knocked down.

Joy was pushed underwater. “Joy!” Raph cried out, and the same happened to him too. He growled, and was pulled up out of the water. “Come on, focus!” His marks appeared again.

Raph jumped into the air. “Bonrai!” he yelled angrily and started to use his new weapon. He turned into a spinning saw and got the demon off of Joy, releasing her. The monster dropped off, probably into the water, with the water splashing around her.

Adam and Torra were both being strangled by some demons. Don was getting more than ticked at these horrible creatures trying to kill his friends. “Adam! Torra!” he called out and his marks appeared too.

Donatello ran up and was going to take them out. “I hope this works. Cleaving wind!” He was up in the air and it was like he was a tornado. It got the demons to let go by picking up the water. Adam and Torra held their throats in relief.

When Don released the water, he said, “Normally, I would want to understand how an arsenal of magic weapons works before using it, but today, I’ll make an exception.”

Mikey was picked up next. He tried fighting them off, but it didn’t work under normal circumstances. He had to focus and his marks appeared again. “Come on, Inezuma!” he shouted.

The water demons were thrown into the rocks, making big splats.

Mikey was proud of himself and his new weapon. “I’m never giving these back!” he announced.

Leo dodged through the Tengus and got to the rock where the cask was. “I got it, guys. Let’s get out of here!” he ordered.

He put his swords away just as two more Tengus appeared before him. He grabbed the cask and jumped off the rock as they charged at him. When he landed in the lower parts below the rocks, the Tengus all vanished down into the water.

“It’s the water! Use the Dragon King’s fire, Faraji!” Leo exclaimed.

“To stop a river, that’s impossible.” Faraji said.

“Nothing is impossible!” Leo said angrily. He put the cask down and he grabbed Faraji’s sword. His focus was sharp and his own chi marks finally appeared.

Leo ordered the Gunshin to destroy the river with his mind, and it fired its mighty power.

The river was wiped out, taking with it the Kapa Tengus. What was once a riverbed, was now a dry area. The area around it was smoking everywhere.

The power had also become too much for the acolytes too. The others began to get their bearings. Leo was still lying on the ground. Faraji fell to the ground. “Leo!” Raph cried out as he ran to see what was wrong with his eldest brother. He cradled Leo’s head.

Leo couldn’t help the whines of pain he let loose. He was in extreme pain. The power had been a bit much for him.

Leo’s brothers carried him back to the ship and put him on a bed in one of the houses. Adam made sure the cask was secure. He carried it. Don tried to take care of Leo the best he could. He wiped some cool water on his forehead with a cloth. Raph and Mikey wouldn’t leave Leo’s side either.

Faraji was also put in a bed too. Joy attended to him.

This time, Torra drove the ship back to the monistary.

It was evening when they got back, Faraji was helped to walk on to the bridge by Torra and Joy. The three other turtles carried Leo. Adam carried the cask.

“Yo, Shishos! We got wounded!” Raph called out.

“My sons!” Splinter and the Ancient One ran up to them. “Leonardo! Put him down.” Splinter ordered his brothers, who gently put him onto the bridge.

Splinter took out a jug full of water and he got down next to Leo. He held his head as he encouraged him to drink. “Drink, my son.” he said.

Leo gladly swallowed the water. He was so sore he could hardly move.

The Tribunal then stepped out to see what the commotion was and to see about their precious cask.

“The cask. Is it opened? Is it damaged?!” Kon demanded angrily.

Hisomi pushed hard on Adam and grabbed the cask. He took it to the other Tribunal members, who went to look it over.

“But Master, Leonardo is injured.” Faraji pointed out.

“You should have left him if it put the cask in jeopardy!” Juto proclaimed.

The others looked at them in shock. How could their mentors not care about their state of health?

“But Sensei,” Faraji let go of Joy and Torra and fell to the floor. He was a little hurt himself. “He saved our lives, Master. Without Leonardo, the cask-”

“Your lives are meaningless compared to these artifacts, Acolyte!” Juto exclaimed angrily.

“You heartless monster! Have you no compassion for those who would give their lives for you?! You are no better than the snarling retches who serve the evil one!” Splinter snapped at the Tribunal.

“Our ways are our own.” Kon said, his hands in fists. “But, you and your sons deserve to know this…”

Hisomi started using his mind powers to open the cask carefully.

“The evil that threatens this world overshadows everything! Compassion; our own lives; even honor. If we fail, the world will fall, to Him.” Kon explained.

The cask’s lid was lifted and the artifact was risen out of it. The turtles and Splinter easily recognized the look of the helmet that had been in the cask. The shape of it.

“The Shredder!” Leo cried out in fear from his prone position on the floor.

Just when they thought they were done with one Shredder, there was another that could possibly be unleashed! And there was another back in New York that had taken over for the Utrom Shredder. One called Yogami. They had yet to know that Randall had taken care of him.

Leo and Faraji were taken into the monistary so they could get some rest for the night. They would see how they were in the morning.

At least the Tribunal had one more artifact back in their custody now. That was one less of them in the hands of the servants who were evil.

There was some dinner served for a job well done, despite the scoldings from the Shishos. Leo and Faraji needed their strength back.

Later on, before preparing for bed, Chikara came by all the rooms to say that tomorrow, the acolytes could have to recover and rest from their injuries since getting the cask had taken so much out of them. But as the injuries weren’t much worse than what they were, the injuries were likely to be much better waiting forty eight hours or so.

They would be grateful for the day of rest.   
……………

In his dreams, Master Splinter began to have a bad dream. He and his sons were in danger from this demon Shredder. But it was more like a premonition rather. He hoped it wouldn’t come to pass, but it haunted him greatly. Even his own Master Yoshi was in it. He was slain by this Shredder again, even though he was already dead.

During the day of recovery, while his sons slept, Splinter all of a sudden had a connection to Randall in the astral plane.

_“Randall, what are you doing here?” Splinter asked._

_“Hi, Splinter. I know I don’t meditate much, but I had to come to tell you something. Since I don’t know where you are, or when you’ll be back, this was the only way I could reach out and get a message to you. Whenever you come back to New York, you won’t have to worry about Yogami anymore. I took care of him for you guys.” Randall said._

_“That is wonderful, Randall. Thank you for telling me.” Splinter said. “Is there anything else?”_

_“It’s dullsville without you guys here. What’s been going on over there?”_

_“The Ninja Tribunal is very hard on my sons and their new human friends. They are being trained in magical ways, none we have ever seen before. They are being trained to stop an ancient evil that is threatening to return if some evil heralds get their hands on some artifacts.” Splinter explained._

_“I talked to Karai too, and she and the Foot are beginning to prepare for this threat too. I told her of what happened about the crystal the turtles brought to Agent Bishop. It was called the Heart of Tengu, and if it would be destroyed, it would unleash the Mystics to do something terrible.” Randall explained._

_“I think I know what it is, but then, it couldn’t be them.” Splinter thought._

_“Who?”_

_“The Foot Mystics. They all have elemental powers. It’s not easy to simply fight them. It takes a special focus and strength to be able to withstand them, at least here in the astral plane. But it was good that you got through to me to let me know what has been done.” Splinter said._

_Splinter was grateful that Randall did know how to meditate._

_“It was good talking to you, Randall, and I hope we’ll be home soon. Until then, take care of things back there and be careful.”_ Splinter said and came out of his meditation.

Splinter was glad to have finally talked to Randall. And he would be glad that his sons weren’t being attacked by Yogami anymore once they did get the chance to go back to New York. He knew even his sons would be so proud of Randall.

 


	46. Legend of the 5 Dragons/More Worlds than One

The next day, as promised, the acolytes had the day to rest, relax, and recover from their ordeal the day before. Leo and Faraji both began to feel a lot better after some rest.

It was the following evening and everyone was having trouble sleeping when they knew they had to go back to training the next day. Mikey was probably the most restless. He wanted to go home and just relax for a change. He was tired of all this training. But it was fun discovering his new powers that he didn’t know he possessed.

Mikey rolled around and just couldn’t get comfortable. He rubbed his eyes. “I can’t sleep.” he said.

Don yawned. “Me neither.”

“Shh! You’ll wake the old guys.” Raph warned.

Splinter and the Ancient One were both sitting over in Splinter’s resting area. “They’re meditating, not sleeping. There’s a difference, Raph.” Leo stated.

“Not in my book.” Raph replied.

Splinter’s trance began to break. “So much danger. I never wanted this for them.”

“Uh, Splinter, I cannot meditate with you muttering like that. And besides, my butt has fallen asleep.” the Ancient One said. Splinter’s eyes opened to look at his friend.

“My apologies, Ancient One.” Splinter said as he poured a cup of tea. “But the Ninja Tribunal troubles me more each day. I cannot allow their foolish judgment to cost me my family. Not again!” he exclaimed.

“Your sons are capable. Sort of.” the Ancient One tried to assure the fatherly rat. He knew he cared deeply for his sons.

The turtles didn’t exactly like it that their father and great-grandfather so to speak, were talking about them as if they weren’t there.

“Um, hello? We’re like five feet away. How about showing a little tact?” Mikey stated.

“Master Splinter, when you said the Ninja Tribunal cost you your family, what are you talking about?” Leo asked.

“I am talking about my beloved Master Yoshi; and of a time in the past. Yoshi-san was a guardian then, pledged to protect the Utrom. He came to enlist the Tribunal’s aid.” Splinter replied.

“Yoshi was my prize pupil. And he insisted on becoming a guardian.” the Ancient One stated.

“The mighty Ninja Tribunal ignored my master’s warnings. And because of their cold indifference, one of the bad outcomes would be my Master Yoshi’s life. And the Tribunal did nothing! Nothing!” Splinter said sadly as tears came to his eyes. “Had they heeded Yoshi, he might be alive today.”

“The Tribunal sees a bigger picture than we do, Splinter, at least, I hope they do.” Ancient One said.

The turtles all glanced at one another. There was just still one thing they didn’t know, and who was this evil anyway?

“Is anyone going to tell us what the shell is going on around here?” Raph demanded.

“Real Shredder, True Shredder, Utrom Shredder.” Mikey stated.

“How many Shredders are there?” Don demanded.

The Ancient One and Splinter looked at each other as well, and knew now would be a good time to reveal the true story and information about what this Shredder really was.

“My sons, it is time you all hear about how all this began, of an evil darker than all evils.” Splinter began. “A primal force of malevolence that was and is, the original Shredder.”

  
“No one really knows of the dark depths that spawned him, but, back in the year, 300 A.D. in the land of Amoto, the Shredder rose from some fowl stinking crypt in the form of a terrible Tengu.” the Ancient One spoke next.

They continued to tell the story of how there had been once the Legend of the Five Dragons. Their Shishos had once been students themselves, and learned multitudes of magic to take this Shredder on to defeat him. And there had once been an original Oruku Saki too. He had become the demon.

The four remaining Dragons even had dragon avatars, as did the Shredder. They fought as dragons to defeat the Shredder, and they encased the evil one in a sarcophagus, separated from his helmet and guantlet. They had held a 1,700 year vigil ever since.

“They began training others. Others that could help them in their fight. Acolytes, chosen for their potential and purity of heart.” Splinter explained.

“The Tribunal taught an art of fighting with a dragon at its core. This would come to be called Ninjitsu.” the Ancient One added on.

“And these immortals, the four remaining Dragons, became known as, the Ninja Tribunal.” Splinter finished the story.

“So, there was a real Shredder?” Leo stated.

“And the alien Utrom we fought was an imposter, who was just using the name of the demon Shredder to gain respect.” Don added.

“And this Shredder has a bunch of butt kickin’ magic powers that almost destroyed the Ninja Tribunal.” Raph added.

“And now, someone’s trying to resurrect him. The greatest evil this world has ever known. And the only ones who know about this…” Leo said.

“Are cute, green, and way the shell out of our league!” Mikey exclaimed. “Um, any chance we can still go home?”

Splinter and the Ancient One glared at him tensely.

“No, I didn’t think so.” Mikey said.

It was going to be hard to sleep after having heard that story, but at least now the turtles knew more about what they were being trained for. They were so tired of hearing about having to deal with anyone called the Shredder for an enemy.   
……………..

Across the land, by the water, an evil looking ship came to rest at the shoreline. The five Mystics got off the ship. They were sure they would get their hands on the first artifact. But what they found disappointed them, and wanted to know what happened.

The Kapa Tengu were all wiped out, as in injured from their fight. Some were still unconscious, but one of them was awake. He was turned onto his back and a foot from the Metal Mystic was put onto his stomach.

“Kapa Tengu! Who did this to you?!” the Metal one demanded angrily.

“Tribunal! New acolytes!” the Tengu replied weakly.

“The cask. Where is the cask?!”

“They have it.”

“You had one duty: to protect the cask!” the Metal Mystic was furious.

“They fought like demons!” the Tengu shrieked.

“But you are demons. Demons who failed in your duty. The supreme master we have come to revive accepts no excuses. And neither do we.” he said angrily. Then all five Mystics went on to kill all of these Tengus.

They were sure that they still one more artifact in their possession however. And they still had to wait for a few more days before they could attempt to start fishing out their vengeance.   
…………….

After a day off of training, it did give Leonardo and Faraji enough time to get back on their feet. There were no major injuries, just mainly some bruises and magic use burnout. It had been the first time that Leo had used his chi powers and had just wiped him out the most.

They had managed to get a little bit of sleep last night, but not enough. And here, this morning, despite being a bit tired, but still, all the acolytes showed up for training, and this time, their Shisho was Chikara.

She took them all to the edge of a mountain for their training this morning. All of her students got seated and she began explaining.

Being the only woman Shisho also meant that some of the guys might have found her attractive too, no matter how old she was.

“Strength of body, when combined with mind and spirit, can move mountains. Alone, however, the body shatters against rock, like a bristled twig.” Chikara stated the obvious. It was amazing she was the Shisho of Strength, just considering she was a woman. That usually belonged to a man.

“Yeah, but rock beats scissors, and paper beats rock…” Mikey started going on about the hand game called Rock, Paper, and Scissors. His brothers were annoyed when he went on, but none of them were prepared when they saw Chikara pick a giant boulder that was beside her.

The acolytes all gasped, though Adam was mightily impressed. He smiled in a big way. “Whoa! Isn’t she dreamy?” he asked Don, who was sitting in front of him.

Don wasn’t so sure about that. “Chikara Shisho?”

Chikara then proceeded to throw the rock in the air and punched it from the bottom, making it shatter into many smaller pieces. The acolytes tried to keep from getting hit.

“Sure, dreamy like a panser tank.” Don answered Adam’s question.

Mikey had also apparently heard the question too. “Oh, I don’t know. Give her a shell, add a touch of green, you might have something.” he imagined.

Mikey was apparently annoying her. She had heard him. “Michelangelo, son of Splinter!” Chikara called him out.

“Busted.” Raph stated.

“Stand!” she ordered. Mikey stood up as told. “Strike me with all of your strength!” she demanded.

“Um, this is going to result in me getting my shell kicked, isn’t it?” he asked nervously. He held his right fist up. He went for the punch, and she only grabbed his fist and began squeezing it hard.

Mikey cried out in pain, making him go to his knees. “The body alone shatters against rock.” Then she tossed him away from her. “Again!” she ordered.

Mikey rubbed his hand to get the circulation back in his hand. Then, he got a little frustrated. He went with a kick at her next. But she hit him in the shin, just below his knee. It knocked him down flat on his shell. “Ow.” he said.

His brothers all burst out laughing. “Nice job, Mikey. I think you got her on the ropes.” Don said and laughed.

Chikara then stepped up to the others. “Stand, Acolytes.” she ordered. They did. Don went to help Mikey up.

“Prepare!” she demanded and she smashed her hands together, making a bright light start blasting to behind them. The acolytes protected their eyes.

Behind them, pieces of rocks started to come together. When the pieces were complete, they made stone warriors. The acolytes all grabbed their weapons.

“These Stone Oni are powerful, and nearly impervious. To defeat them will take more than mere muscle. It is time to see what I have taught you. Focus on your inner strength!” Chikara ordered.

“Are you ready to shatter some mountains, Banrai?” Raph asked his weapon. It glowed as if to answer him.

“I said inner strength!” Chikara made her right hand glow, and then, the weapons disappeared from everyone’s hands. “No weapons.”

The acolytes couldn’t believe this. “You gotta be kiddin’ me!” Raph shouted in fear as the Stone Onis started coming at them. “Oh man, no weapons! There’s always a catch!” he realized.

“Fight, Warriors!” Chikara ordered.

Adam was the first one who charged, but he was rammed real hard and thrown away.

The others all began to scatter. Torra got up on one and he too got a good hit. Raph ended up next to Joy. “Any ideas?” Joy asked him.

“Oh yeah. It’s shell kickin’ time.” Raph smiled at her, and he focused, bringing on his chi marks. There were two Stone Onis coming at them.

Raph smiled when he was focused. He ran to grab and meet the stone fist that was coming at them. “Coming about, Joy! Duck!” he ordered. Joy ducked as he lifted and swung his weight around, making the Oni crash into the other one. They had destroyed theirs.

Mikey tried to get away from his for a moment, and tried to do the same as Raph. “Focusing, focusing.” he told himself, but his marks never came. When he went in for the punch, it was the same effect as when he tried to punch Chikara. Now the same hand was even more bruised. “Ow! But I was focusing!” he complained.

Leo kept jumping away from the one coming after him, until he was wrapping his hands in brown bandages. When the fist came down to the ground, he jumped onto it and tried pounding it. “Come on! Come on! Break!” He was trying hard.

The one coming at Don finally made the genius focus hard enough and his marks came on. He spun through the air and punched the Stone Oni in the chest and going through it. It shattered into a million pieces.

Raph and Faraji were beside him. They were impressed.

“I just thought it through, and wow!” Don said happily.

Leo had sadly not had that much luck. He rolled away and got to his feet again. He was in a low crouch as the stone fist was about to come down on him. “Hold!” came the order.

Leo was glad he hadn’t been smashed into the ground, but felt he hadn’t done a good job. “The lesson ends.” Chikara said behind him.

“Torra Yoshida, Donatello, Joy Reynard, Raphael, you have all done well.” Chikara praised them. She glared at the other four. “The rest of you; your focus and discipline are poor; you will do well to meditate on your utter failure here.” Chikara said firmly as she walked off.

Leo helped Mikey up while Faraji helped Adam up.

“Hey! Don’t I get a gold star for at least good effort? I stayed conscious.” Mikey stated.

Don and Raph came over to Faraji and Adam. “How did I do? Was Chikara impressed?” Adam asked.

“You did great, Adam.” Don said.

“Yeah, Chikara’s probably gonna ask you out now.” Raph went along with it.

“Sweet.” Adam smiled.

The acolytes all left together. The Ancient One was left behind, watching them go back to the monistary. He thought of something that might make things easier to understand for at least two of the turtles.

Later in the evening, Leo and Mikey were off by themselves. Leo knew that he often had one of the greatest attention spans of his brothers. He hadn’t understood why he hadn’t had some sort of success with Chikara’s lesson.

Mikey kicked a small rock off the edge when a voice cleared. “Leonardo, Michelangelo.” the Ancient One began, “Do not let Chikara Shisho’s beauty and lack of yelling deceive you. She is one of the harshest of the Shisho.” he pointed out.

Leo and Mikey bowed in respect to him. “Ancient One, I’m not sure the Tribunal is happy with my progress.” Leo said.

“Yeah! Chikara wanted to drop kick me off that mountain!” Mikey said angrily.

“The Ninja Tribunal would not waste their time on students who were not worthy.” the little man said. “You are both doing well. You, Leonardo, they are hardest on, for in you, they see much potential. They expect you to rise to their challenge, as do I.” he explained.

The two turtles bowed to him again, as he did too. “Thank you, Ancient One.” Leo said.

“I wish you were training us instead of the Tribunal!” Mikey exclaimed.

“And who do you think trained me, Michelangelo?” the Ancient One stated before walking off.

Mikey and Leo glanced at one another again. At least he had helped them to understand a little more. Leo especially.

They went off to get some dinner afterwards, feeling a little better.   
…………….

That night, Splinter had another dream premonition about the Shredder hunting him and his sons. This time, the evil one had killed his sons.

_“NOT AGAIN!” Splinter cried out in anguish. Then the Shredder came out of the trees, ready to go after him._

Splinter awoke in alarm. His sons were all asleep. “Night after night, the same vision.” He closed his eyes and prayed, “Master Yoshi, tell me how to protect my sons from this coming darkness.” he said as tears came to his eyes.   
……………..

The next day, Hisomi took the acolytes to some high mountains with paths on them. He was testing for super speed.

They all started out running like normal. Leo and Faraji were in front. Mikey and Tora were next. Raph and Joy were third, and Don and Adam were last.

“Chasing Hisomi isn’t exactly boosting my moral. I’m getting tired of failing.” Leo stated.

“Ah, my friend, so am I.” Faraji replied.

“What are you talking about Faraji? You’re doing great. You were given one of the Fangs of the Dragon.” Leo complimented. “You’re the most skilled warrior here.”

“But I am not. I failed Chikara Shisho’s lesson, just as I am failing Hisomi Shisho’s right now.” Faraji stated sadly.

In the very back, Don and Adam were trying to take their minds off the lesson a little bit. They were talking about something Don was wanting to invent when he got back to New York.

“You’re kidding. You’re going to put missiles in it?” Adam asked. “That’s great!”

“Oh, I know. It’ll have armored plating, a communication center, and be fully remote accessible! And I think my friend, Randall can help me do it too!” Don explained his thoughts. He missed Randall too.

“That’d be awesome! You could have the trunk pop open, and have a full trunk engine back there! You should call it: Turtle Taxi.” Adam suggested. “And this Randall must be a great engineer like yourself?”

“Good idea! And yes, he is.” Don praised the idea and his friend. “Um, we’re not going to catch Hisomi today, are we?”

“I don’t see that happening.” Adam said.

Up ahead, Hisomi was getting faster. Mikey and Torra caught up to Leo and Faraji. “Move it or lose it, slow pokes!” Mikey shouted, making the two lead runners get out of the way before they were pushed aside. They began running again.

“How does he do it?” Mikey asked. “Okay, Torra. You and me, we’re going to figure this out, and we’re going to catch him!”

“Perhaps if you ran as fast as you talked, you would do better!” Torra scolded.

“No! We just have to remember what Hisomi said about stealth and movement, well, what’d he minded about them anyway.” Mikey declared. “See it happen, picture myself there, and Chikara said, if I focus my chi…” he was focusing just right this time and his chi marks appeared, and it made him take off at super speed. “Wahoo!” he let out as he sounded like a race car taking off.

Torra pulled up in surprise. “Michelangelo?”

The others couldn’t believe it either.

Hisomi was way far ahead of everyone else and running at super speed. He didn’t figure the acolytes would catch up to him, but he looked back and saw Mikey running beside him.

Mikey looked up at him and shrugged.

Hisomi thought he would beat the orange wearing turtle and he went to make a game out of it. He ran on faster.

Mikey giggled and he put on the same amount of speed, catching up to his sensei again real fast. They both ran at super fast, almost race car type speed! Hisomi smiled and bowed his head at Mikey. He was obviously pleased with him. They both had a game race.

The other seven acolytes were left clear on the other moutain path. “I am never going to hear the end of this.” Raph complained.

By the time they reached their destination, they were tired and breathless. They just couldn’t figure out what Mikey had. But at least today was an improvement for Mikey over what had happened the day before.   
……………

The next lesson couldn’t wait. The acolytes had a lesson with Kon in the afternoon. They were all in the monistary today. They were all sitting a big, wide circle.

Kon began the lesson, “While you walk on this Earth, your spirit walks in another world. What you see with your eyes is only one plane of existence. What you feel with your heart and chi, that is the world of the Spirit.” He levitated off the ground and continued, “To truly combat the coming evil, you must be able to manifest your spirit as an avatar.”

“Uh, a what, now?” Mikey asked, not sure what the Shisho was talking about.

“The Spirit Avatar taps into a warrior’s deepest soul, manifesting a true totem of each warrior’s inner being. Each of the Ninja Tribunal manifest a Dragon, the ancient symbol for wisdom and strength. The Dragon is a very rare avatar.” Kon explained.

“The Dragon.” Leo said in amazement, and he wondered if he could pull it off.

“Let us see what lies hidden in your hearts, young warriors. Meditate on your inner spirit, make it manifest.” Kon went higher into the air.

“Oh, more meditation. Wonderful!” Raph complained.

Mikey tried to go for it and then, his back cracked. He rubbed his shell. “Who invented this pose? I think I’ll meditate better lying down.” he reached for one of his ankles.

Kon came down and gave him a knock on the head. “Quiet your mind to unleash your spirit.” he ordered, and floated over a ways outside the circle.

Torra got into the meditation, and released his spirit totem. “Observe, Torra Yoshida. His avatar manifests… the Wolf represents ferocity and speed.”

Adam was next. “Behold Adam’s avatar… the Bear represents strength.”

“Well done, Joy Reynard. The Hawk represents fearlessness.”

“And Faraji Ngala manifests the Lion… symbol for honor and courage.” Kon had now stated all of the human acolyte’s avatars.

Leo was determined to bring out his avatar. He knew meditation was one thing he was best at, out of his brothers.

“Well, I’m feeling like a dud.” Mikey said.

“With concentration and training, you will soon be able to meld your worldly form with your spirit totem.” Kon explained.

Leo was determined to make his avatar appear.

“You will actually become…” Kon was cut off as a bright light filled the spotlight, coming from the lead turtle. Leo had reached his highest point of focus. His chi revealed his avatar as it roared proudly. It knocked the other avatars out of the picture.

“A Dragon! Inconceivable for one so young!” Kon said in shock. Then he looked at the lead turtle. “It seems we were right about you.”

Leo’s brothers went over to him, “Alright!” his bros praised him. Leo also felt he had done something right. He smiled.

“It seems there is more to you and your brothers than is apparent to the eye.” Kon said wisely.

Leo’s avatar flapped its wings for a moment before disappearing, and that was when Chikara and Hisomi came forward.

“Kon, ready the acolytes. The second artifact has been found.” Chikara ordered. She was carrying her kanabo, which was almost like a giant bat weapon. Hisomi carried some metal tessons.

This time, Hisomi and Chikara were coming on this trip. They were soon on the ship. It was already dark out. “Heed me well, Acolytes. It is of the utmost importance that you secure this second artifact and that is returned here, to the Lap of the Gods, the Shredder’s minions will be unable to resurrect their master. But be warned, I feel an ever shifting evil awaits you.” Kon warned them as the ship was released and it was driven to its destination.

“Great! No pressure or nothing!” Raph said sarcastically.

A while later, after parking the ship and getting off, the two Shishos and the acolytes were walking through a swampy area. They had to get that last artifact back. They were soon nearing an entry point. Chikara and Hisomi had come this time because they knew who had it, and they didn’t want anyone getting as near hurt as last time.

“There, the passageway to the second artifact.” Chikara spoke up. “We must secure it at any cost, but beware. This is the warning of the Nezumi.”

“Nezumi? A rat? We have to fight rats?” Don translated and asked.

Adam leaned down to talk to him, “Dude, your sensei is a Nezumi.” he joked.

Don know that. Adam went back to normal before hearing more.

“The Nezumi is a shape shifting Tengu, with a taste for living flesh.” Chikara explained. “So, remember your training.” Then she and Hisomi led the way into the cave.

Once inside, soon, they found the second cask. It was sitting on an alter. There were also many human skulls nearby too, just emphasizing what Chikara had warned about.

“There, is that the second artifact?” Leo asked.

“What gave it away? The freaky alter, or the mountain of skulls?” Mikey asked nervously, gulping.

Some rats poked their heads out of the skulls to see they had company. Then they started running for the water. This almost reminded the turtles of back when they had fought that guy who seemed to be a Rat King.

“This is a trap.” Chikara put her kanabo down.

“Trap? I hate traps.” Mikey whimpered.

As soon as the rats got in the water, their size went from small to giant-sized! It made them look even more scary. Chikara was the first one to start getting some hits in to the monsters. She sent them flying into the walls.

Hisomi took out his metal tessons and started throwing them around, making the Nezumis fall to the ground, the ones that were high up.

The acolytes had never really seen their Shishos fight before. It was a little surprising.

Don and Mikey were next to each other. “We should bring Hisomi with us more often.” Don said.

There was one rat that seemed to be the leader and he was in front of the alter. He made himself grow to a giant rat too, but looked more different than the rest. In his scary, scratchy voice, he ordered his comrades, “Rise again, my brothers. Engulf the Tribunal in our darkness!”

Some purplish ghost-like figures came out of the rat bodies, making them even more scary. They flew down to attack Chikara and Hisomi, covering them in their ghost bodies.

“Acolytes, attack!” Leo ordered.

All the acolytes went to join the fight. Adam hit some with his hammer.

Don called on his chi. “Byakko, go!” He got some hits in while in the air. When he landed, he stated proudly, “I’m a lean, green beat-down machine!”

Raph called on his next. “It’s shell kickin’ time! Banrai!” He turned into the saw again, taking as many as he could get to.

Then it was Mikey’s turn, who was fighting beside Joy. “Inezuma, attack!” He got some good blows in too. “I love being a turtle!” he yelled proudly.

One of the Tengus side swiped Faraji, who was close to Leo. It knocked him down. “Faraji!” Leo cried out and went to check on him.

The lead Nezumi approached now. “Now you become food! The master will reward me!” he said.

“I don’t think so, Tengu!” Leo replied back. He put his swords away and called on his own chi. His dragon avatar was revealed.

The Tengus started to be blown away from the dragon’s light and purity. It also freed Hisomi and Chikara. They almost couldn’t believe it that it was Leonardo’s avatar that had freed them.

But Hisomi hurriedly went up to the altar to get the second artifact. He got the guantlet out of the cask.

“Is that-?” Raph asked.

“The Shredder’s guantlet, the second artifact!” Don finished for him.

The acolytes regrouped and came up a small distance behind Chikara, who turned and walked up to Leo. “You have done well.” she bowed to him in thanks. Leo did the same. For once, it was nice to be given gratitude.

“Perhaps there is hope yet.” she said. Leo smiled happily. Hisomi had the guantlet.

They had what they had come for, now it was time to get out of here.

They were tired after the fight and when they made it back to the ship, they slept on it and headed back in the morning.

But that next night, a Nezumi came out of the cave to meet the heralds of the Shredder. The Earth one picked it up and it whispered in his ear that the Tribunal had the artifact.

The other heralds waited for the news. The Earth one said, “All is ready.”

“Perfect!” the metal one proclaimed. “Soon, the master will be free.”

It was a full moon tonight. Just what the Mystics were waiting for.

 

 


	47. The Beginning of the End

Now that the Tribunal had the second artifact, the turtles were really hoping they could go home soon. That they wouldn’t have to fight this great evil.   
…………….

As the night wore on, storm clouds began to gather, and an eclipse started. The Mystics had reached another one of their staying areas and they were preparing themselves for battle and the resurrection. 

After some final preparations, they set off for the Tribunal monastery. They had to get there before the two Shishos and their acolytes that were on the ship.   
…………….

The ship was still flying through the sky as the storm clouds were moving in. 

“I’m king of the world!” Mikey shouted. He was standing at the front of the ship. Tora was behind him. 

Some lightning flashed, scaring him and he jumped back, landing on Tora. “At least there’s no icebergs up here, right, Tora?” Mikey asked the Chinese man. 

Tora was a hard individual to impress, to make laugh. “I pray I never learn to understand you, Mikey-san.” Then he dropped him, Mikey grunting in the process. 

As Mikey stood up again, he knew Randall seemed like a much better person to be around at this point. At least Randall had a sense of humor, even around him. 

Up at the steering wheel, Hisomi was teaching Don and Adam how to steer the ship’s rudder using their chis instead of just driving it the usual way. The rudder moved in different directions. 

“Coolest ship ever!” Don complimented. This was so cool learning to drive this ship. He was impressed by a lot of the Tribunal’s magical skills and technology, of ancient times even. 

On the back of the ship, Raph and Joy were just waiting to get back to see what happened next, but Raph had an idea. “So, Joy, when all this blows over, if you ever find yourself in New York, look us up.” he suggested. 

Joy turned to him, “I plan on it. But let’s save the world first, okay, tough guy?” she smiled at him. 

Raph had found himself having a crush on the blonde haired woman. She seemed to be into him too. 

“And I was just wondering, I’ve heard about a special friend you have back home. Who is this friend named Randall?” she asked next. 

“He’s a lizard monster from another dimension. He was banished and he’s joined our family. He’s like another brother. He just wasn’t with us when we were shanghaied. But he came out with us on patrols a lot. And he has a temper that matches mine. I had a strong dislike for him at first, but now, I know I can trust him in a crisis. If you come to New York, you can meet him. He can also blend into his surroundings too.” Raph explained about Randall. 

“Sounds awesome.” Joy replied. 

Leo and Faraji were down in the main hanger with Chikara. 

“The evil one’s heralds will not let our victory go unanswered.” Chikara stated. 

“But, Chikara-Shisho, with the Shredder’s artifacts secure, haven’t we stopped his resurrection in its tracks?” Leo asked her. 

“We have won a battle, Leonardo, but only when all the artifacts are entombed within the monastery will I feel an iota of relief.” Chikara stated. 

Hisomi directed Don and Adam to finish getting the ship back to the monastery. 

They all were greeted by Kon. At least, that’s who they thought he was. 

They all headed into the Lap of the Gods house. Inside, Juto, Splinter, and the Ancient One were waiting for them. 

“I had a terrible vision, Chikara.” Kon said. “I saw that the beginning of the end is upon us.” 

Hisomi carried the guantlet. 

Leo went over beside his father. He asked in a low voice, “Master Splinter, what’s going on?” 

“The omens have turned against us, my son, despite your hard work and hard won efforts.” Splinter replied. 

“The five Mystic warriors come to the monastery. They approach even now!” Kon exclaimed. “The heralds of the Shredder!” 

Everyone gasped. 

“We must take drastic measures if we are to survive.” Kon said, taking the guantlet from Hisomi. “Hisomi, lead the acolytes to the third artifact. They will be our last line of defense.” 

Chikara knew it wasn’t right for that secret to be revealed. “The sarcophagus?! Kon, the location of that artifact is our most closely guarded secret. Better to make our stand here.”

“Chikara, I have seen the future! Secrets will not help us now. Time is of the essence. You must trust me on this.” Kon decreed. 

Chikara was already getting edgy about this situation. “Acolytes, steel yourselves. And prepare.” she ordered them. 

The acolytes were all concerned about what was going on. They had just won the second artifact back. They hoped there was nothing to worry about. Hisomi began to lead them to the third artifact as he had been ordered. 

They soon were all running down some stairs after Hisomi, Splinter and the Ancient One too. When they reached the bottom and went to stand on a circle marking in the floor. Hisomi made his hands glow and he touched a line on the floor, making it light up, and the floor began to descend downward. 

Chikara followed Kon and Juto down a hallway. “These actions seem rash, Kon. I do not understand why the acolytes must know the location of the evil one’s sarcophagus.” she told Kon. “If the heralds realize the acolytes have this knowledge, their lives are forfeit! We agreed that the location of the crypt would die with the Tribunal!” 

“Yes, we would not have it any other way.” Kon replied. He and Juto led her into the far back room, where she gasped. 

There on the walls were the real Kon and Juto! Splinter and the Ancient One laid on the ground, tied in chains! The three humans were all covered in bad bruises, almost looking like they were dead. Splinter feigned it too. 

Chikara began backing up. 

Juto managed to wake up and see her. “Chi- Chikara! Run!” he ordered. 

The fake Kon and Juto smiled evilly at her. 

Chikara tried to strike out magically at them. They floated into the air. 

“It’s too late for that!” the Fire Mystic stated as he revealed himself, along with the windy one. 

“No! No! It cannot be! The heralds of the Shredder!” she exclaimed in fear. 

“Yes, we have come! You see before you now, the beginning of the end! The end, of everything!” the Fire one proclaimed. Then he started shooting his flames at her.  
……………

The shaft went down to what looked like a volcano below the Earth. 

“Whoa! If the Tribunal ever got strapped for cash, you could make boku bucks charging admission for this ride!” Mikey declared. He might have had a point, but that was far from the point at this moment. 

The fake Splinter and Ancient One looked at each other, knowing they were going to find out the location of their master’s body. 

When the shaft landed, Hisomi began leading them toward the falling lava. He told them to hold up with his hand, and he took out his metal tessons. He went to divide the lava. He created a passage for the acolytes. 

That was amazing! The acolytes went under and into a different area. It looked colder in here. 

Mikey observed his surroundings. “Wow. From scorching hot to the freeze zone. Hope we don’t catch a cold.” 

“Yeah, Mikey. That’s the real concern here.” Raph retorted. 

Hisomi pointed to the coffin on its own special alter. 

“This must be the place.” Don stated. 

Fake Splinter and Ancient One agreed silently. 

“I don’t need Hisomi to tell me that. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up! And I don’t even have hair.” Raph declared. He was just as nervous, only he didn’t want to let on. 

Then, there was a noise, and a burst of Earth came under their feet, knocking them all over. Leo looked over at the two other senseis. “Master Splinter, Ancient One, are you alright?” he asked. 

The two fake senseis were looking fine. Then they started laughing maniacally. They began spinning and changing shapes. They changed into the Earth Mystic and Water Mystic. 

“It’s the Shredder’s heralds!” Raphael exclaimed. He took out the Banrai. The other acolytes took out their weapons too. 

“Yes.” The Earth one said. “So generous of you to lead us straight to our master’s sarcophagus!” 

“What have you done with Master Splinter and the Ancient One?!” Leo demanded. 

“You will meet them soon enough, now that we have all that we need!” the Earth one exclaimed. 

The Metal Mystic also joined them. 

Thunder and lightning boomed outside. 

Chikara was badly injured now as she too, was also restrained on the wall. The Fire one did her restraints. 

He went back down to the Windy one. “Do you feel it, brother? The third artifact is ours.” the Windy one stated. 

“Yes, I sense it too. We now have all the pieces we need to resurrect our master! And with these fools finished, let us join our brothers in victory!” the Fire one decreed. 

The two flew away to go find the artifacts and their three other brothers. 

Unknown to them, Splinter wasn’t dead. He opened his eyes angrily. He began to wiggle and to get out of the chains so he and the others could try to stop the heralds. He knew his sons and their friends would offer a good fight and hoped they would win. 

The Fire and Wind Mystics joined their brothers around the coffin. 

“Finally.” The Earth one said, “The age of the Tribunal is at an end!” 

Hisomi and the acolytes ran forward to try to stop them. 

“For Oruku Saki, the one true Shredder, will rise again!” The Fire Mystic proclaimed. 

Hisomi was the last Shisho to try to stop them. He got in front of the coffin, tessons at the ready. 

“Remember your training, Acolytes! It all comes down to this!” Leo reminded the others. 

The Earth one put his powers to use by building a large wall that blocked the acolytes from helping Hisomi. 

The Earth one, and the Wind and Fire ones all struck out at Hisomi and in the end, he was injured too. He stumbled a bit and finally fell over. 

Raph used his chi powers to blow the wall aside. “Hisomi-san!” he cried out. 

The turtles and their human friends all struck out at the Mystics. They got a few hits in, magical ones. But the Mystics still outwitted them. They floated in the air above them. 

“Impressive. The reptiles have learned much since we last met.” The Fire one said. “But it will not matter.” Then he summoned two creatures in the water behind them. 

One jumped on the land. It was huge with four legs, two clawed hands, wild white hair and a big horn on its nose. The second one was more like a serpent, with a frill on its neck. 

“What the shell are those?” Raph demanded. 

“Sojo: Spawn of Black Waters; and Bacul: Devower of Dreams! Heed your master: leave nothing breathing!” The Fire one ordered. 

The monsters went to attack the acolytes. They dodged their first blows. 

“We can do this! Stay focused and we can take them!” Leo exclaimed. 

“Remember, true strength comes from within, and nothing can stop-” Faraji began, but was cut off from a strike from the Bacul. 

“Faraji! We’re coming!” the others called out to him. 

Faraji took two more blows across the cavern before coming to a landing, incredibly injured. The other acolytes tried hard to get to him. They too encountered the powers of the Bacul and Sojo. 

Leo was the one that got the Bacul distracted enough for him to reach Faraji to see how he was. He saw he was in bad shape. 

“Faraji!” He moved to him. The African man cried out in pain when he tried to move. “Save your strength, Faraji. I’m gonna get you out of here.” Leo said. 

“Leo, my time here… is at an end… Ow!” He put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Gunshin is yours. It was always… meant for you, Leo. I was just holding it.” Faraji said with his last words. 

Leo took the Gunshin. “I will honor you with it, Faraji.” he declared. Now it was up to him to stop those monsters and the heralds.   
…………..

In the room above, Splinter and the Ancient One had freed the Tribunal. 

“The enemy has discovered the third artifact, their master’s sarcophagus!” Chikara explained what happened. 

“If they escape with all three artifacts, the world is doomed.” Juto stated. 

“Then we must stop them! Come!” Splinter was helping to support Kon. They all ran to try to get to the acolytes before it was too late for them all. 

Down in the cavern, Don and Raph called on their chis again to take on the Sojo. 

The Sojo did a hissing sound and it began sucking in the two turtles’ energies. 

“You hit high! I’ll hit-” Raph tried to tell Don what they needed to do, but their energy was gone, making them fall to the ground. Then he smashed them both into the ground, hard. 

“Get up! Get up!” Joy ran to their sides. 

“We’ve wasted enough time here. Finish them.” The Fire one ordered. 

The Sojo pulled a piece of cave spikes off a rock, ready to do the job. Don and Raph had managed to get up again. They were alright. 

Then, out of nowhere, a blue flame of light blasted into the Sojo. It knocked him down. 

Leo created a portal of magic and fired. “By the Dragon’s fire, burn demon!” he yelled. 

His flame struck the Sojo, and it vanished into thin air. 

“Now that’s bein’ a turtle!” Raph exclaimed proudly. 

“Gunshin? But what happened to Faraji?” Don asked worriedly. 

Raph and Joy looked down at Don. Then the remaining monster, the Bacul, picked up Joy in its tail. 

“Joy, no!” Raph cried out. 

“Raphael! Avenge me!” Joy called out. 

Raphael used his chi again and used his Banrai. “That’s it, you slimy serpent!” He sliced the sharp cones off the cave’s ceiling. They went crashing down onto the Bacul, killing it. 

“That one was for you, Joy. I won’t forget ya.” Raph said sadly. 

“It is time!” The Fire Mystic stated. He and his brothers started a ceremony, making the helmet and guantlet appear on the coffin. “We have all that we need. Our master will rule once again!” 

The Earth one stayed on the ground while the other four floated high into the air. He made the coffin begin to rise from its resting spot using the rocks. 

Don was beside the spot. “Not today! Not ever!” He spun and used his magic to stop the rocks. They crumbled and the coffin started falling back down. 

The last two humans, Adam and Torra, jumped onto the coffin and got the helmet and guantlet before the coffin hit the ground again. 

Then Mikey flew into the air and used his powers. “Inezuma, do your thing!” he shouted. 

The Inezuma’s powers hit each Mystic and landed them all in the water. 

“We did it!” Adam said proudly. He had the helmet and he threw it to Mikey. 

Mikey caught it. “Awesome! We got back all three artifacts and the goonballs are out of commision.” he declared. 

“Yes, but for how long?” Torra asked. 

That was a good question. 

Mikey gasped when he saw Hisomi. “Master! We have to get Hisomi back to the monastery, he needs help!” he said. He tried to turn him over. He was heavy. He tried to pick him up again. 

Then, a whip structure came out of nowhere. “Leave him be! His time is done!” Juto ordered. “You have fought well, but the fight is far from over.” 

“But Hisomi, Joy, Faraji.” Mikey said sadly. “They’re all-” 

“All we can do now is honor their courage, by stopping the return of Oruku Saki. I am sorry.” Splinter stated. 

“And the first step along that path is to destroy the Shredder’s heralds!” Chikara exclaimed angrily. 

The heralds then arose from the water, angrier than ever. 

“Oh no! Look!” Torra said. 

The three remaining Tribunal members started making a fireball formation, intent on finishing the heralds. 

“Make haste! Take the artifacts far from this place! Hide them! Leave the heralds to us!” Chikara ordered the acolytes. The students were all worried about what would happen to their Shishos. “Go, NOW!” she ordered again. 

The heralds were getting closer. The Tribunal’s power was growing more. 

“Join your master!” Kon yelled angrily. 

The acolytes finally began running out of the cavern. It was now up to them to keep the Shredder from returning. They got through the lava fall with some chi power, and they got on the shaft and it began taking them upward. 

The ball of energy finally exploded from the Tribunal. And they could only guess at what happened, and the outcome wasn’t good, they knew. 

They all made it to the top and then ran for the lead house, the Lap of the Gods. They were going to hide the artifacts possibly in there or further, but they didn’t expect to see what they saw in there. They came to a halt. 

“No! The heralds!” Leo exclaimed. 

“But how?” Don stated. 

“You have underestimated our powers.” The Water one said. 

“And, for that mistake, your lives will end here!” The Fire one said angrily. 

“But if these guys are up here, then that means-” Leo stated. 

“The Ninja Tribunal is no more.” The Water one added. 

“The artifacts! Now!” The Fire one ordered. 

The Metal one made the next attack charge at the acolytes. He made his choice to attack Torra. 

The Water one also took the moment to engulf Master Splinter and the Ancient One in balls of water. 

“Torra!” Adam exclaimed. He and Don went to try to help Torra after Adam had to put the coffin down. He had carried it up. 

The Earth one used some ground arms to grab Leo. Raph tried to take him on. The Earth one tried to smash Raph’s head in, but he dodged it the first two times, but a third time, he got him in the chest. Then he grabbed the coffin and charged at Mikey, who was back by a wall. Mikey dodged and the Earth one slammed into the wall. 

The crash had consequences. A crack appeared in the wall and went up the wall to the ceiling. Debris started falling from the ceiling. 

“Look out!” Don cried out. He jumped over to save Adam from a piece of rock, only to have another even bigger one come down on him, trying to save Don. 

“I can’t hold it! Go! Go!” Adam ordered the purple masked turtle. Don tried to help him, but he kicked Don in the stomach, forcing him back and the rock crushed him. 

“No!” Don cried out. 

Then, the last of their human friends was forced down, onto his back by the Metal herald just a few feet away. Torra tried real hard to block the Metal one’s strikes. He did good on most of them, but at one point, he made a final blow, making the man cry out in pain. 

“Torra!” Mikey cried out. He put the helmet he was holding down and he used his chi to sneak over and get Torra just before the Wind herald could try to blow him away. 

Mikey got Torra away from the Metal herald and moved over beside Don. “Torra, you’re gonna be okay.” he said sadly. Don only knew how Mikey felt right now. 

Torra looked up at him, and then he laughed. “Mikey-san, you finally made me laugh.” His amulet was showing his energy was weakening. Then, he died. 

Don and Mikey cringed in grief. 

“Such a pity. What a waste of power.” The Fire herald mocked from above. The heralds all had the Shredder’s artifacts now. “Simply to delay the inevitable.”

The five heralds then put the coffin in the middle of them and summoned a silent spell. It freed Leo and Splinter and the Ancient One from their entrapments. Splinter and the Ancient One had been able to conserve their energy to at least save themselves. 

“From the ashes of your cursed Ninja Tribunal, our dread Lord, Shredder will rise again!” The Fire herald exclaimed, and the spell started a blast of pink lines to go all over the monastery, everywhere around them. The forge, the turtles’ sleeping quarters, the lava area down below, everywhere. 

Splinter and the Ancient One rejoined the four turtles and the ground beneath their feet began to shake and the piece of flooring they stood on rose out of the ground. Lava surrounded the piece as the rest of the Tribunal’s monastery was engulfed and destroyed in the lava! 

The family all looked up angrily as the Fire herald laughed evilly, and he started to open a portal while his brothers held the coffin. Once the portal was opened wide enough, his brothers carried the portal through it. The Fire one was the one that lingered a moment longer. “On behalf of the great one, we thank you.” he said, holding the helmet in front of him, then he too went into the portal. 

The portal started to close. 

“No! It can’t all have been for nothing!” Leo exclaimed. “I won’t let it be!” He yelled angrily and his chi marks appeared and he made the Gunshin fire at the portal, to keep it open. “I will never stop fighting!” he yelled angrily, then ordered his family, “Hurry! I don’t know how long I can keep this thing open!” 

His family hurriedly went and jumped through the portal first before he followed. It closed directly after him. The monastery was left in burning ruins. 

They didn’t know where they were going, but they were going to make sure they were going to stop the heralds if they had anything to say about it! 

When the portal opened up to release them to wherever the heralds had taken them, they found that they had landed in a back alley. It definitely wasn’t the softest landing. The only who was braced for the landing was the Ancient One. He landed in a kneeling position. 

When they all stood up to regain their senses, they took a look around the corner to see where they were. What they saw was… shocking and amazing at the same time. 

It was Times Square! 

“We’re home.” Don said. 

“Master Splinter, I can’t believe it. Faraji and the others, the Ninja Tribunal, all gone.” Leo declared. 

“They have made the ultimate sacrifice. We cannot let it be in vain.” Splinter replied. 

“What about the heralds?” Raph demanded. “Why the shell would they come here to New York City?” 

“I do not know, Raphael. But, I do know what their victory today means. It means that the end of the world begins… here.” Splinter said regrettably. 

A storm brewed in the clouds above them. They went above to see if there were any sign of the heralds and they were nowhere to be seen. For now, they would go home and take a break. They could only go on fighting for so long before they would be too worn down to fight anymore. 

They went to another alley and found a manhole cover and went in that way to the sewers. If there was one thing they all missed despite their duty, it was the sewers and their lair. 

Even though the Ninja Tribunal was presumed destroyed, the Ancient One still had his own personal home in Japan, but he had made up his mind to stay here with his family and to help guide his adopted great-grandsons, and to help them in any way possible to defeat the Shredder, at any cost. 

The turtles, Splinter, and the Ancient One soon made it to Central Park and their lair. They found the power was off, even though the water naturally kept flowing through it. Don hit the power switch. 

“It feels so good to be home.” Mikey breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s almost like it never happened.” 

“But it did happen.” Leo stated. 

Everyone was in a state of grief. Being home gave them a little comfort now that they were back in familiar grounds. And they would go see their friends soon to let them know they were back. But first, after two major battles in the last couple days and right before coming back home, it was time for some rest. 

They all checked on things in the lair first to see that they were still working, and that nothing had been stolen while they were gone. 

The lair looked nice and clean and organized. No doubt April, Casey, and Randall must have been looking out for the place. 

Mikey checked the TV. The big screen picture box was heaven to him. “It’s been so long since I last watched it. It’s like an old friend come back to me.” He hugged the TV. 

“We can understand that.” Don smiled. 

“It has been a long night, my sons. Turn the TV off, Michelangelo. It is time to get some rest.” Splinter ordered. “We will decide what to do tomorrow. We can only wait and see what happens next. And yes, I agree, it is good to be home.” 

Mikey reluctantly turned the TV off. 

Don checked on his lab before he too went to his room to get some sleep. 

It had all been one elaborate nightmare after what had happened back in Japan. They all would make sure to make the heralds and even the Shredder pay for what had been done to their Shishos and friends.


	48. Nightmares Recycled

The next day, the family got up and trained first. Trying to practice old moves and some new moves with their newfound magic. Then they had breakfast. Mikey was glad to be cooking for his family again. He went through what they had that had to be thrown out and what was still useful. 

It was a silent meal. They all still felt the sadness from yesterday, but everyone had slept through the night, as they had all been exhausted from the fight. 

After breakfast, Don went to his lab to start a new project. Or two that he had had in mind. He had one in mind that could drive over water real fast, and the other was what he had talked about with Adam. 

Raph was still real mad at the thought of losing Joy. He had thought he almost had a girl like him for once as more than a friend. It could have had a chance, maybe. He went on punching his punching bag. 

Mikey just wanted to watch TV. He had so much catching up to do. Leo joined him for a little while. He wanted to watch the news to see if there was anything strange going on in the city above. Everything looked normal. At that, Leo went for a walk in the sewers, leaving Mikey to finally enjoy his own programming. 

Splinter and the Ancient One spent most of their time in Splinter’s room, meditating. 

Things remained peaceful for the first few days back in the lair. They would go topside every night to see if things had changed any, and there was nothing. 

They wanted some few days to themselves before they would reveal themselves to their closest friends again. They were still grieving their losses. 

But one day, a few days later, a week and a half after they had come back, Mikey decided to go check in with Randall. He had missed that lizard so badly. 

Randall was just getting up for the day. He suddenly heard a knocking at his door. 

“Who is it?” Randall asked. He thought it was just April. 

“It’s me, Mikey.” came the reply. 

Randall froze. He looked at the door. That was a voice he hadn’t heard in a long time. “Come in.” he said. 

The door opened and in came the orange banded turtle, for real. 

“Michelangelo?” Randall questioned. “When… when did you get back?” 

“Over a week ago.” Mikey said. 

Randall got off the bed and ran and jumped onto Mikey so hard it knocked him down. “WHOA!” Mikey cried out in surprise. 

Mikey had never gotten this response from the lizard before. He could feel Randall’s upper arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around him too. 

After a few moments, Randall released Mikey, and they both sat up. 

“Why didn’t you come by sooner?” Randall asked. “We’ve been out of our minds with worry!” 

“I’m sorry, but we didn’t exactly have a choice in what happened, Randall.” Mikey stated. “And I didn’t come by sooner because me and my family were sad over the loss of our new friends. We needed some time for ourselves. We learned much in Japan from these Shishos called the Ninja Tribunal.” 

Randall also noticed the necklace and amulet that Mikey now wore, and the new weapon in his belt. “What are those for?” he asked curiously. “I suppose you got those from them?” 

“Yes. This amulet lets me express my chi. My inner power. It’s incredible. I found I have a thing for stealth too after all. I’m sure you would have fit right in, if you had been there.” Mikey explained. “And my new weapon is called the Inezuma. All my bros have the same amulets and new weapons.” 

“And what of Splinter? He got there, didn’t he?” 

“Yes. He got there days after we did. The Ancient One is back with us too. We were the only ones that survived the heralds of the Shredder in our final battle before we came back here.” 

“How did you get back?” 

“The heralds opened up a portal to come here to New York. Leo held the portal open with the Gunshin, his new sword that belonged to our friend, Faraji.” Mikey said. 

Randall tilted his head in curiosity. He had to learn more about these new powers and weapons, and their time in Japan. 

“I would like to say hi to April too.” Mikey said. 

“I’m sure she’ll be glad you’re back, like I am.” Randall replied. 

The two friends went up to the shop and Randall alerted the woman to his presence. In the back, April saw Mikey. She immediately hugged him desperately. 

Mikey went on to explain a few things, as what he told Randall. April called Casey and told him their friends were back from Japan, finally. He was overjoyed to hear it. 

Randall went back to the lair with Mikey to see the others firsthand. He had to know how they were doing. 

The others all embraced Randall when they saw him. Raph kept his distance, but shook his hand. It was just good to be reunited after so long. 

Randall was curious to see what these powers were, as he saw the new weapons and amulets on Leo, Raph, and Don too. It was good to see how Donatello was looking from since the last time Randall had seen him, with the bandage still on that leg from the monster roach man cutting him. The cut looked healed now and nothing more than a minor scar. 

“So what are these new weapons?” Randall asked. 

“They were given to us by the Ninja Tribunal.” Leo began. “They’re called the Fangs of the Dragon. Mine is Gunshin. It belonged to my friend, Faraji. He died in our last battle.” 

“I heard.” Randall replied. “But what does it do?” 

“It has the flames of the Dragon King.” Leo stated. 

That sounded like a good weapon for him, as Leonardo was the leader. 

“Mine is the Byakko. It unleashes the Cleaving Wind.” Don explained his. 

“Banrai.” Raph said. “It can shatter mountains.” 

“Mikey’s Inezuma commands lightning from the heavens.” Don explained Mikey’s weapon. 

“That’s all very… interesting. Can I see a demonstration?” he asked. 

“It would be better to wait until tonight and we could show you some things in the park tonight.” Leo said. 

He had never known his friends to have powers like these. If they had had those powers months ago when they were in his world then, who knows what they could have done. They would have been even more powerful to take down Waternoose and his gang, and destroy the Scream Extractor. 

Randall stayed with them the rest of the day. He started helping Don in the lab to build his new inventions. With the two of them, things could get done in half the time. 

“My friend, Adam came up with the name for my new Turtle Taxi that I’m going to build.” Don said. 

“These friends, they were all humans?” Randall asked. 

“Yes. The Tribunal, we were told, were immortal, but they too died in the end against the heralds. We don’t know when or where they and the Shredder will strike, but we have to keep an eye on things.” Don explained. “We were trained for this. We are the city’s only hope of taking them on.” 

“Is there any way that I can help?” 

“We will find ways for you to help, along with April and Casey.” Don said. “Right now, you’re being useful helping me get these inventions done.” 

Randall was glad to be helping Don again after so long. Engineering was his life, now that the scaring portion of his life was over, as a job that is. 

“How did you get along while we were gone?” Don asked him. 

“Casey and I kept an eye on things, but if one thing is for sure, I got rid of Yogami while you were gone. I know it was risky doing it alone, but I did. He won’t bother you anymore. And I found out that Karai is truly your ally. She said she would begin planning something to also help defend herself from this great evil I was told about. She knew a little about it.” Randall explained. 

“Thanks, Randall.” Don replied. They continued working. Mikey was bummed that he couldn’t be in the lab too, but Don was serious that he didn’t want anything broken. 

Casey came over that night and he and April came over to the lair. There, the family talked about what they had encountered in Japan, their new friends, the Tribunal, their training, and the assault from the heralds trying to get the artifacts. 

April and Casey felt bad for the mutant family that they had lost some valuable friends and teachers. Even though some of the explanation of the training had been told to Randall beforehand, he hadn’t heard all of it. After the two humans had come down was when he had heard mostly all of it. And it was shocking and amazing to hear all of it, with what the turtles had newly discovered about themselves: their inner powers. And that Leo’s inner avatar animal was a Dragon! 

“But what of the rest of you? What are your avatars?” Randall asked. 

“We don’t know. We were all feeling like duds.” Mikey said, “Aside from Leo.” 

“Leo’s avatar did save us from the Nezumis.” Don reminded them. 

“Nezumis?” Casey asked. 

“Rats. It’s Japanese for rats.” Don replied. 

“What is the Japanese word for ’lizard,’ by the way?” Randall asked curiously. 

“Tokage.” the Ancient One replied. Randall glanced at the little man. 

“That’s… interesting. And monster?” Randall asked. 

“Monsuta.” the reply came from the old man. 

Randall knew there could be much he could learn about the Japanese from this guy, since he had lived in Japan all his life. The turtles had lived here in New York all their lives. Splinter knew some of it, but he might not know everything about Japanese culture like the Ancient One did. 

April, Casey, and Randall all joined the family for dinner and some catch up movies, after a power demonstration in the park, as promised. Even Splinter and the Ancient One joined them for the movies. The old man hadn’t watched much TV in his life, so he was very inadept at turning channels and such. 

Randall and the human friends had been impressed by the turtles’ new powers and weapons. 

By midnight, everyone was tired and ready to turn in. 

“You guys haven’t seen anything topside, nothing strange going on?” Leo asked. 

“Nothing yet, Leo.” April replied. “We’ll let you know.” She and Casey were poised to leave. 

“You comin,’ Randall?” Casey asked. 

“I really want to stay here.” Randall said. 

“We understand.” April said. “Take care.”

“Let’s make it a few days.” Randall stated. 

“That’s fine too. You missed them.” she said. “Let’s go, Casey.” 

“See ya’ll later.” Casey said on his way out. 

Randall really had missed them. He had to make up for lost time. But he would still sleep in his own room down here. They all went to bed shortly after.   
…………..

Randall stayed down in the lair for next few days, mostly helping Donatello make his inventions, but would cut out at a certain time to play some games with Mikey too. He also did some meditation with Leo, and talked more of what he had learned with the Tribunal. 

All the turtles had felt a loss of their human friends, but Raph seemed to feel it the most, having developed feelings for the only woman of the bunch. Of course, they were mainly friends, but Raphael had rarely ever met human women who he really connected with, other than April and Angel. 

Mikey had liked hanging out with Torra, but the Chinese man had never understood him. When he had chosen to laugh at him finally, it was at the wrong time. 

Don wished Adam could be helping him build these inventions that Randall was now helping him with. Randall might have liked meeting Adam too. Adam had been a pretty open minded guy.   
…………….

Randall knew that he needed to head back to April’s soon, to work in her shop again, but he would give it two more days. She had said it was fine. He had been with them for four days now. 

On this night, Don and Randall needed some more supplies for the new inventions and Raph wanted to get out of the lair too, so he accompanied them to a junkyard. It was nothing unusual. It was something Don did quite a bit, but tonight was unusual. 

There was something watching the two turtles and lizard going through the junk. They took turns keeping on watch and picking out items. The Battle Shell was a little ways away. They were deep in the junkyard. 

Right now, it was Randall’s turn to keep on watch. He kept on tasting the air every now and again, though he mostly smelled garbage all around him. Don and Raph weren’t paying him any attention. But then, Randall suddenly picked up on something. 

“Guys.” Randall said lowly. 

“What?” Raph asked grumpily. 

“I can taste something in the air, something that isn’t garbage. It has the scent of like bad human body odor.” Randall said. 

That put the two turtles on edge. Randall vanished for good measure. For the most part, the turtles weren’t going to use their chi powers unless they really had to. They would fight like they always had, as normal ninja turtles unless something made them to do it. 

They began to look around. “I’m behind you guys.” Randall said as the two turtles began to look for any disturbances. He let them get in front. 

“It would be nice to at least see you a little bit.” Raph said. “You should be leading the way, Mr. Tracker.” 

“I can make my body just as an outline. But I’m not being completely visible right now.” Randall retorted. He let his body become more of an outline. 

“We don’t know where you’re picking up the scent, Randall. Perhaps you should be in front.” Don suggested. He also didn’t want Raph to get more miffed off than he was. 

Randall took the point, and using his tongue, he led them through some piles. 

The big figure could see his quarry was coming right to him. He had some other henchmen around too. They just had to wait for the right moment to strike. 

After searching and seeing nothing, Raph was ready to call it a night, but Randall walked over a certain spot, followed by them both, and then, a net sprung out from the loose dirt on the ground. It picked both turtles off their feet. Randall spun around to see his friends caught in the net. It made him reappear fully for the moment. 

“What the?” Don cried out. 

“Get us outta here!” Raph demanded angrily. 

Randall looked around. He saw the net was attached to a crane. He was about to go over to it and try his luck when he heard footsteps. It made him vanish. 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” a man’s voice asked sarcastically. It was among six men dressed in yellow jumpsuits with oxygen masks on their faces. They also held staffs with shockers on them, that they used to shock their victims as punishments, or to encourage a move on. 

Randall had gotten away, but he wasn’t going anywhere. 

“I see it is my old prey.” another voice came out from behind a junk pile. 

Don and Raph couldn’t believe who they were seeing. It was the Garbageman! 

“The Garbageman?” Don said worriedly. 

“Let us outta here, you fat pig!” Raph demanded furiously. 

“First thing, I talk, you listen.” the Garbageman stated. “And right now, after what happened last time, it is time you paid with your lives, Turtles! Bring them!” the fat, stinky man in a robot ordered. 

Randall had heard Don’s question. So this was the Garbageman? From the smell of him, yep, he had to be the most toxic human to ever be around. His smell alone was enough to gag someone, hence why his henchmen wore oxygen masks just to breathe. 

The net was lowered from the crane, but then, two henchmen came over and electrified the two downed turtles, making them both cry out in pain. It left them winded. It felt like they couldn’t breathe. 

The net was dragged with them in it. It was taken to a big robotic truck. The Garbageman and his cronies got into it and dragged the two turtles with them. Randall followed. He wasn’t letting this idiot get away. He ran to catch up to the truck and he couldn’t make it inside. He jumped onto the side and held on with the suckers on his hands and feet. 

Raph and Don were in a secured place in the truck, in a cage. The net was secure around them. 

“Where are you taking us?” Don demanded to know. 

“To our hideout, you reptile scum!” one of the henchmen replied. 

“Where’s that lizard? He can join ya later.” 

“None of your business!” Raph snapped. 

“We’ll find him too.” 

“You’ll never find him!” Don added on. 

“Oh, we will.” 

It was a ride across the docks in a garbage truck and then, Randall saw the truck was heading towards some water. Uh oh! Just as it was going off the dock, he jumped off before it hit the water. Where was it taking them?

Randall watched as a red light illuminated the garbage truck as it crossed the harbor. He saw another land mass out there in the harbor. He knew he should get back to the garbage dump and contact the others, but they could get away by that time. He saw the light disappear once it reached the other side. So it was there. 

He sighed and knew he had to stop this. Randall took a deep breath, and reluctantly, he leapt into the water and began swimming across the harbor. He wasn’t going to let his friends remain in that filthy man’s custody.   
…………..

Once on the other side, Don and Raph were taken out of the truck and dumped in the net down a garbage chute and once down on the real ground, the net was cut off of them. They were grabbed by their arms and their weapons were confiscated from them. They struggled in the henchman’s grips. 

“Take these two to the brigg and hold them! I wish to finish them later.” the Garbageman said. 

The henchman were taking no chances this time. They tied Don and Raph’s hands behind their shells. “Move!” 

As they were nearing the prison area, Raph tried to act out and set them free, but he got electrocuted again. Don felt bad for him. He knew he had to come up with a way to get them out of here. He had no idea where they were. 

The Garbageman had reclaimed the trash junkyard out in the harbor after his underwater empire had been destroyed. But some things were still brought up from the sea too, to make his empire even stronger.   
……………

When Randall reached the other side, he followed the trail upwards. He saw there were lights everywhere, flashing. It made him vanish. He tried to avoid the grossest things on the walkway. When he got to the top and looked over, he saw that it looked like a junkyard, and bigger. 

He also saw some humans working down there that were in chains and moving trash around. The Garbageman appeared and gave a speech. 

“I believe that garbage is power! You build my empire!” he stated. 

Randall wasn’t much for the humans that were in chains, he just wanted to find his friends. Using his invisibility, he went over the wall. He went down that walkway too. Despite the strong smells of garbage around him, he began using his tongue to sniff out the two turtles. 

He caught their scent in the air and followed it inside a building. He followed it down to a cell area. Don and Raph were down here somewhere. But then, he heard a sound. 

Some henchmen came around the corner, holding Don, Raph, and his own weapons. 

Randall growled. He wasn’t going to allow this to happen. Using his invisibility, he snuck up on the men in jumpsuits and boy, did they get a surprise. 

Randall bodily jumped onto the first two, making them go down. Then he punched one of the other two still standing in the chin. The last one standing tried to strike out at whatever was attacking the others. He heard a growling sound coming from his left, and some eyes and sharp teeth were coming right at him. 

“AAAAH!” he screamed in pure terror. He tried to take off, but he didn’t get far. 

Don and Raph heard a man scream. It had to be Randall. They both smiled. He was a good ninja lizard by now. It was amazing he was here. 

Randall had jumped onto him from behind. He had kept up with him when he ran. All four humans were now unconscious. He went and got the turtles’ weapons and his tonfas. He followed their scents further down the hall. He also had a keys. 

“I see you guys are alright.” Randall said. 

“About time.” Raph admitted. 

“I was worried you went back to get help first.” Don said. “He might have dissected us by the time you got back. He plans to do that later.” 

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Randall said. Then he started trying to use the keys on the door. He had to go through many keys, but eventually, found the right one. “And I got your weapons back.” 

“Thanks, Randall.” Don smiled. 

“Good going, Ran. You’re just as much a ninja as we are.” Raph complimented. 

“Thanks, now let’s get out of here. I also saw some other humans working for the slime ball.” 

“Not again. He’s kidnapping our friends again!” Don stated. 

“We have to stop him.” Raph added. 

Randall just wanted to get out of here. But he would help his friends. 

“How’d you find us, anyway?” Raph asked. 

“I tracked you once I swam over here. You guys are out in the middle of the harbor, on a garbage dump.” Randall explained. 

“We’ve been here before, a long time ago.” Don remembered. 

“And we knocked him into the river.” Raph said. 

“And that was where Mikey and I encountered him last time.” Don said. 

“Only this time, we need to take him out!” Raph growled. 

“I’d be willing to help too.” Randall said. 

“We know. Just follow our lead.” Don said. 

They made it back outside. There were also chemicals being used too, to try to get ready to put in the city’s water supply. 

Don told Randall to get to the crane while he and Raph were going to set some humans free and upset the chemicals. 

Randall went for the crane that was nearby. Don and Raph went to free the humans, who were grateful when their chains were snapped off. They began a rebellion against the henchmen. The henchmen began running away. 

Don and Raph confronted the Garbageman again. 

“There’s no way we are going to let you dump those chemicals in the city’s water supply!” Don yelled. 

“You’re going to get what you deserve!” Raph added. 

“You scum! I’m going to finish you now!” the Garbageman yelled back and he attacked the two turtles. 

Don made his chi marks appear and he jumped up. “Cleaving wind!” he cried out and he used the Byakko to knock the Garbageman down to the ground. He cried out loudly. 

Raph then made his appear and he turned into a saw on the smelly man’s robot arms and legs, sawing through them all. 

Randall had made it to the crane invisibly. He had a slight knowing of how to run it, hence he had been helping Don for a long time on inventions like that. The crane was started and the metal detector was moving toward the Garbageman. 

The Garbageman looked over at his opponents angrily. “You haven’t heard the last of me! I’ll make you pay with your lives!” he yelled. 

“I don’t think so.” Randall said. The detector was now over him and it began to pull metal pieces to it, and the Garbageman being one of them. 

Don and Raph then went over to start spilling some chemicals too. “You’ll never be allowed to ruin the city’s water supply!” Raph said angrily. 

“NOOO!” the filthy human yelled angrily. He tried getting loose. 

One of the henchmen came over to turn off the machine and see who was running the crane. He saw a pair of eyes. 

“Hey, you!” 

Randall looked up in alarm. His hand fumbled on the control. The human brought his electric weapon up and tried to fry the lizard, but he missed. Randall let go of the controls to get away, but then he vanished all together and he punched the man in the face, and he went down. 

As for the crane, the metal detector ended up dropping the Garbageman into a vant of acid from the chemicals that had been spilt. 

He cried out in pain as the chemicals began to dissolve his skin and his robot body was being destroyed. It eventually killed him altogether. 

The henchmen were all arrested and put in the brigg themselves. They would never be serving the Garbageman again. 

The homeless people thanked the turtles and the lizard that now stood by them, fully visible. They were happy to have done some good this night, but they still needed to get back home and finish Don’s inventions.   
……………..

The three friends swam back to the other side once things were settled on the harbor recycling center. It was a long walk back through the sewers and to the junkyard where they had left the Battle Shell. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon. 

Raph’s phone began to go off. “Yeah?” he answered. 

“Raph, why haven’t you been picking up? Or Don? Where have you guys been?” Leo demanded on the other end. 

“Uh, well,” he looked over at Don and Randall. “Don, Randall, and I were kidnapped by the Garbageman. He took us hostage.” 

“What?!” 

“It’s okay, Leo. We stopped him, this time, for good. We’re on our way back. It was thanks to Randall how we were able to get away, or he woulda finished us both.” Raph explained. “We’ll be home as soon as we can.” 

“With the way you keep getting us out of our ordeals, you sure you want to go back to living at April’s, Randall?” Don asked. 

Randall smiled and laughed. “I don’t mind catching up like I’ve been doing lately, but yes, I still really need my space guys.” 

“Our new lair has more than enough room for ya to have your own space.” Raph said. “I think April and Casey really feel like you’re a third wheel. They want their privacy too.” 

“I don’t intrude on them. I stay in the basement or I make sure I’m heard before I come up when I know Casey’s there.” Randall said. “If April ever says she wants me out, then I’ll consider it.” 

Raph drove the truck home where they were greeted by concerned looks from Leo. Mikey and Splinter had long gone to bed. 

“We couldn’t help it, Leo.” Don stated. 

“Why didn’t you call for help?” Leo demanded. 

“They made us drop our phones in the fighting and we were captured and our weapons were taken away. Randall followed us and who knows what the Garbageman would have been doing to us by noon today. He didn’t have time to get help. We’re sorry.” Don explained. 

“What he said is true.” Randall said. 

“Alright. I’ll take you for word. But let’s get to bed. How did you finish the Garbageman for sure?” Leo asked. 

“Dropped him in a vat of acid.” Randall replied with a grin. “I know humans are not toxic, but if there was ever one I consider toxic, for real, it was him.” 

“I know. We couldn’t agree more. He’s the sloppiest, most filthy human we’ve ever seen too.” Don said. 

“And this is saying something coming from turtles who have lived in a sewer all their lives.” Raph added. 

“I’m just glad you’re all back, but go on, go to bed, guys.” Leo urged. 

They all couldn’t help but yawn. The adrenaline from all the fighting was wearing off and making them tired. They were all just glad they had made it home, safe and sound.


	49. Membership Drive

After some much needed rest, Don and Randall got to work on finishing up the Sewer Sled, what Don had deemed it. It had been a special work in progress. And then, it was back to work on the Turtle Taxi. 

Randall went home that night and would start working in April’s shop again. He had needed a break. That’s all he had done while the turtles and Splinter had been gone, was almost nothing but work. Working at April’s; working at the lair; patrolling with Casey; stopping trouble on the streets; it kept going on and on. He had been one busy lizard. But then, Randall liked to be busy. 

Night after night, the turtles all checked for signs of danger above, and Splinter and the Ancient One hadn’t sensed the evil one’s presence yet. They all wondered how much longer until this Shredder was even a threat. 

The heralds had been so damn determined to destroy the turtles and all their friends to get those ridiculous artifacts to raise an evil that was way past its time. Evil deserved to stay dead. 

It was almost a month since everything had happened back in Japan, and Randall and Don were now finally beginning to finish up the Turtle Taxi.   
………………..

Bishop and Baxter Stockman were back in New York again, though in different places at the moment. 

Stockman was curious about a big clump of destruction at Coney Island, and he found the Nano Bots. He took some back to his lab and had a look at them. When Bishop came over to see what they were, and the Bots were reactivated, they were shocked to learn what this technology could do. 

It had been hard for the turtles alone to take this tech on. Nano got away from them both. But it had Bishop’s mind control chip on one of the bots.   
…………….

Today, Randall was at home, working in April’s shop. Leo came to Don’s lab to check on things there. 

Don did keep a TV in the lab, keeping tabs topside. He had just added some jet engines to the trunk. Randall had even helped to add them. 

“You put what in the trunk?” Leo asked in surprise. 

“Jet engines. Every taxi in New York should have ‘em.” Don said as he demonstrated. He popped open the trunk. “Its also got retractable armor.” All of the car’s built in features began to pop up and out. “Randall and I incorporated a lot of Adam’s ideas on it.” He put his remote away. “He would have loved working on this.” he stated sadly. 

Then there was a new bulletin on the TV. It definitely got Leo and Don’s attention. They both walked over to see it better. The bulletin was about the Justice Force and how it was willing to add some more new members to its ranks. 

Don instantly thought about what it would cause if a certain brother heard this news. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Don asked Leo. 

“I’m thinking it’d be a good idea to talk to the Justice Force about the Shredder.” Leo smiled, crossing his arms. 

Don had a hand on his chin. “I was thinking that Mikey is gonna freak out when he hears this.” he said. 

Then, Mikey jumped into the lab’s entrance, dressed up in his Turtle Titan costume. “Behold! The next member of the Justice Force! The new and improved, Turtle Titan!” Mikey declared proudly. 

“And, I was right.” He and Leo closed their eyes in aggravation. Mikey and his childish ideas. 

“Mikey, the Justice Force could be powerful allies in our fight against the Shredder. They’re not going to take us seriously if you’re goofing around.” Leo stated. Don came up beside him to back him up if needed. 

“But Leo, how cool would it be, me?! A member of the Justice Force?!” Mikey questioned. 

Don and Leo wished he would take this threat more seriously. Leo looked at Don. Don didn’t know what to do but just insist on them going. 

“I’m finishing up the taxi with Randall even though he’s taking a break today. Raph’s off blowing off steam with Casey. But if you guys want to get to the Justice Tower in style, I’ve got just the thing.” Don declared with a smile. 

Don led Leo and Mikey to the place where he and Randall had stored the new driving machine. “Randall and I just finished this a few days ago. Strap your shells in for… the Sewer Sled!” Don announced proudly. 

Mikey took the front seat. Leo took the back seat and he set the go button. The Sewer Sled could really fly over the water real fast and skim all over the sewer. The maiden run seemed to be a success so far. 

They made it over the harbor in a short time. Mikey was ready to show off his costume threads. 

There were some new superheroes outside who were ready to show what they had, and Zippy Lad was out there, making sure they were in line, though he was mocking and testing them. One of them thought Mikey was a super villain and started attacking him. 

Then Leo stepped forward. “Look, there’s been a misunderstanding. We’re not here to fight.” 

“Oh, Leonardo and Michelangelo.” Zippy greeted the two turtles. “Come to sign up, have you?” he asked. 

“No! Yes!” Leo and Mikey had very different answers. Leo glared at Mikey. 

“We’ve come to talk to the Justice Force about a very great threat.” Leo explained. 

“Well then, you young fellers better head on up then.” Zippy said. 

“Thanks, ZL.” Mikey replied. He and Leo went ahead after thanking him. 

“I hate lying turtles!” a man with big gloves on shouted angrily. 

Zippy rubbed his eyes in annoyance. “These super heroes today.” 

Inside, Leo and Mikey met with Metalhead and he showed them to an elevator that would take them to the office where the team of Justice Force members were. 

When it reached the top, Mikey was talking about what they had learned. “No, seriously. We like, got these mystical abilities now. I’ve got super speed.” Then he saw the office. “Whoa! This place is so cool! Can I sit in a Justice chair?” he asked. 

The Silver Sentry was just finishing up with the last two members who were added. “Raptar, Nobody, let me be the first to welcome you to the Justice Force.” 

On the screen were the two’s replies, Nobody was first. “I’ll be there if you need me.” Raptar was next. “Your invitation honors me, Sentry.” the avian replied. Then they signed off. 

Sentry then turned around and he saw two of the turtles. “Well, I’ll be. Turtle Titan, Leonardo, what brings you to the Justice Force?” he asked. Leo had waved at him. 

“Did you come to sign up?” Ananda asked. 

“Well, actually,” Mikey was cut off by Leo’s hand on his mouth. 

“No. We’ve come to warn you about a creature of great evil and power. It calls itself the Shredder.” Leo exclaimed. He went on to explain a little of what had happened to them in Japan. “And then, we were transported back here to New York. The Demon Shredder could be resurrected at any time. He may be here already.” Leo finished, crossing his arms. 

Silver Sentry got up and walked over to them, smiling. “Consider the Justice Force to be there when the time comes.” he said. He offered his hand to Mikey. 

Mikey was all too happy to shake his hand. 

“Wow. If you should notice anything weird going on in the city-” Leo started to explain, then there was a shaking of the building. “Huh?” 

“I’m noticing something right now!” Mikey exclaimed. 

They really hoped it wasn’t the Shredder right this minute. 

Outside, the Nano bots that Stockman and Bishop had activated were attacking the wanna-be superheroes and the statues that lined the front of the building that had all been destroyed. 

The Justice Force got ready to go fight the threat. Leo and Mikey were even included this time around. 

In the end, Nano was showing signs of maturity and he only wanted help. Ananda talked to him before Mikey decided to help him. He and Leo shrunk themselves with a belt that had been borrowed from one of the wannabe heroes. Mikey got the control chip off that one nanobot. 

Nano showed that he just truly wanted a family, and he apologized to Leo and Mikey about what happened in the past. Leo and Mikey explained to the Justice Force that he wasn’t a bad guy and had just fallen in with the wrong crowd, and they could help him to have a better life. Ananda confirmed that he wasn’t evil when she had talked to him, with her special way of talking to machines. 

Mikey then wanted to talk about his new membership. 

Later, when they got home, three of the turtles were watching the news. The bulletin showed that Nano had joined the team of superheroes. Randall was watching it at home.   
Mikey had called and told him his news when he got back. But the bulletin didn’t reveal anything about Mikey being added to the team. He was to be kept secret. He also got a brand new costume. 

Don and Raph saw that Nano had been added. “Nano?” they questioned Leo. 

“Don’t ask.” Leo said. 

“What’s the matter, Mikey? Didn’t make the cut?” Raph made fun of Mikey, not knowing the truth. 

“In your dreams, you wannabe.” Mikey snarked. “The Turtle Titan is now an official member of the Justice Force! Of course, I’m only on duty on every third Wednesday of every fourth month, and February 29th, when there is one.” 

Raph moaned. But at least it was what Mikey wanted and he was happy for it. 

Don went back to the lab to work more on the taxi. Leo went to have some meditation before bed. Raph went to go lift some weights. Mikey decided to go over to see Randall and show him the new costume. 

Randall was impressed that he had human friends other than April and Casey that allowed him to be a member, even if only in secret, and only working very rarely. 

“You could be a super hero too, Randall. Why don’t you join too?” Mikey suggested.

“No thanks. That isn’t really for me. I’ll stick to being a hero from the shadows.” Randall replied with a smirk. 

“Alright. But I hope you’ll help out if I need ya.” 

“You know I will.” Randall wasn't up for being a superhero in the open here in the human world all that much as Mikey was, but he would gladly put his life on the line for his friends after all the times they had stuck up for him. It was part of being a true family.


	50. New World Order, Part One

A month had passed since the Tribunal’s last battle and the mutant family had been returned to New York. The heralds had had to wait until a new full moon, and one that wasn’t an eclipse before they started their ceremony of resurrection of the Shredder. And their powers had been a little drained too from their last fight with the turtles. 

Now that they had regained their full powers and settled on a place in the city to do the ceremony, they set up lit fire stations and placed the helmet and gauntlet aside, but close by. The Mystics got in a formation like a circle, and began to gather their powers to the fullest and began a magical chanting. There was also a thunderstorm going on outside that night. 

It didn’t take long for the results of their chanting to show, as the bolts on the sarcophagus started exploding. Then, the lid finally exploded as well. A skeleton rose into the air from the coffin. It was the Shredder! 

Skin began to grow back over the bones, and bones reattached as well so they could function once again. It wasn’t long before the transformation was complete. This was the true Oruku Saki, who had let a demon take advantage of him so long ago. He looked human-like, but was more like a ghost or zombie of his former self, having much paler skin. 

Shredder looked around first and could see he was formed again before summoning his helmet and guantlet to him. 

The heralds had also checked on the status of Yogami before they had done this resurrection while waiting. They found he was dead, but by who, was another matter. But now, they also wanted revenge on Karai as well. She was now claiming to be the true Shredder, but not like how her father went about it. 

The Mystics hoped their master would do away with this female usurper.

Now that the Demon Shredder was himself again, he used his powers to destroy the coffin he had been in for the last 1,700 years. The five Mystics bowed to him. “Master.” they said in unison. 

“At last!” Fire decreed. 

“At last, the Shredder is risen!” Wind added. 

“I live! Now, let the world tremble!” were the Shredder’s first words, then he laughed evilly.   
……………

Meanwhile, the turtles were all asleep and having the same dream, that Karai was calling each of their names in the same dream, that the Shredder was after her. Each turtle tried to save her in the dream, and they were thrown back and had to watch as the demon slashed her to pieces. Then the Shredder turned the city into a world of his own creation, a place of doom. 

While they were sleeping, because this dream was connected to the Shredder, the turtles’ chi marks had also highlighted on their bodies. It wasn’t something that usually happened in their sleep, but this was too strong. 

They all woke up in alarm, gasping. Master Splinter, Ancient One, and Randall walked into the room. Randall had been meditating with them to learn more special powers of the mind from the Ancient One, and they sensed something was wrong. They had gone down to check on the turtles. 

“What a nightmare. I dreamed about Karai. She was reaching out to me.” Leo told the others. 

“Yeah, that was my dream.” Raph agreed. “The city was breaking into a million pieces! And then she was at the mercy of the Shredder!”

“I saw that too. And New York turned into a horror show, kind of like an alternate universe, but worse.” Don exclaimed. 

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, and the Shredder was there. The ancient, voodoo Shredder!” he stated as he shook in fear. “Acting all King of the World!” Then he realized what he and his bros had said. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you telling me, we all had the same dreams?” he asked. 

Randall was surprised that his brothers had all had the same dream at the same time. The Ancient One let out a hmm. The turtles and Randall looked at him. What did that mean? 

“Looks like your kumquats are walking the Know-o-you-co Path.” the Ancient One said. 

“Yes. It seems that you are connected to forces beyond time and space through your subconscious.” Splinter stated in strong words. 

“Uh, in English, please, Senseis.” Mikey didn’t understand what they were saying. Even Randall hadn’t quite heard words like those before. 

“Yeah, care to translate?” Randall asked. 

“Heh! And you four are the hope of the world?” the Ancient One scoffed. 

Splinter went on to explain in words they would all understand, “Your amulets, your weapons, your training with the Tribunal; it has all connected you to the Shredder in some way. After all, that was the Tribunal‘s goal, was it not?” 

The turtles all looked at their father in alarm. Even Randall was shocked to hear this and of course, he hadn’t been one of the acolytes. But he was trying to understand this threat. He wanted to be a part of it if he could. April and Casey were taking the more silent approach to it until they were truly needed. 

Splinter went on, “They took the four of you, along with Adam, Joy, Torra, and Faraji, to transform you from acolytes, into Masters. The Tribunal had hoped to train you to become the ultimate warriors, capable of fighting on the physical and mystical plains. Alas, the Shredder’s evil heralds put an end to the Ninja Tribunal’s plans. All were destroyed and your training never finished. We can only hope that what you have learned already will be enough. And, your dreams have confirmed what the Ancient One and I have dreaded.” he explained. 

“I was only starting to see what was happening and got a glimpse of this guy.” Randall looked back at his turtle brothers. 

“Our meditations have shown us, terrible things. The Ninja Tribunal’s worst fears come true! We have seen the Shredder, brought back to life.” Ancient One finished. 

“The Shredder! Back?” Leo asked. 

“No way!” Raph said. 

“And soon, he will reshape the world, into a dark chaos! It will not be pretty.” the old man declared. 

“But first, from what your dream suggests, he will destroy Karai! It suggests she is reaching out to you.” Splinter declared. 

“She wasn’t the Shredder anymore, unless she is carrying on a legacy from her father.” Leo wondered. 

“She might call herself the Shredder in her father’s place, but she still called herself your ally when last I talked to her. Of course, it was my first time talking to her too.” Randall explained. 

“She could have still done you in, Randall. You shouldn’t have talked to her alone.” Raph argued to him. 

“You guys weren’t exactly here to have as back up, and I wasn’t going to make Casey go in with me, with the big clutz that he often is. I was careful.” Randall countered. 

“Knock it off, guys. We will help Karai.” Leo declared. 

Raph still had his doubts about the Foot leader. It was amazing Randall even trusted her. 

“I have a sense that the Shredder will be heading for her very soon. You must warn her.” Splinter ordered. 

Don and Randall had come very close to finishing the Turtle Taxi. The reptile group all ran to the lab to pile into the car. Raph sat up in front with Don, while Leo and Mikey rode in the back. Randall didn’t want to be left out, but Splinter stopped him.

“We will wait until we hear from them, Randall. You need to develop some more powers first if you are going to be a part of this.” Splinter explained. “And your mental powers are not strong enough yet.” 

“Ugh!” the lizard groaned in defeat. 

“He has point, Tokage.” the old man agreed with the rat. 

Being called a Tokage was something still new to Randall. 

“Just when do I get to help them in all this?” Randall asked. 

“I’m sure there will be a way soon enough, but right now, we must let my sons deal with the Shredder and his heralds.“ Splinter knew what was true in his heart. He had raised his sons well and taught them much about how to be responsible, and the Tribunal had trained them well too. 

All they could do was wait. The three of them sat down and began talking more about mental training for Randall just as well.   
…………….

At the Empire State Building, where the resurrection had happened, the Shredder was now ready to take on and claim this new land. 

“Come, slaves.” he ordered. He and his Mystic cronies followed him out of the entrance. “Let us venture forth and survey my new kingdom. What a pleasure it will be to hear the screams, when I remake the world, in my own image!” The Shredder declared. “This island is the perfect place to begin. The motes on both sides, will make it easy to defend.” 

From behind him, the Fire one spoke up, “Master, there is first the matter of the usurper.” 

The metal one spoke next, “She, who dares to call herself, the Shredder.” 

“Her very existence mocks you!” the fire one exclaimed. “You must first deal with her!” 

“I… MUST?!” the Shredder turned to them in complete anger at being ordered. He blasted a surge of power over the Mystics, making them cry out in pain. “I must do whatever I please!”

“Yes, forgive us.” the Earth one said. 

“Mercy, Master!” the fire one pleaded. They were all on their hands and knees. 

“You amuse me, and so will destroying this usurper as well. Once that sport has been savored, I will bring a reign of chaos unto this world!” Shredder proclaimed. Thunder roared angrily across the sky. 

The Shredder and the Mystics regained themselves and began their journey towards the Foot building. While the turtles had been gone, Karai had used her father’s fortune to finish remaking the former Foot building. She was there now. The magical beings began to lower themselves closer to the streets below. 

Humans who saw them started screaming in terror. They were under the light of the full moon that was out despite the storm. Several people saw them and pointed upwards before screaming and running away. Others in cars also got into wrecks because they got distracted by this new creature coming their way. 

Shredder started using his powers to destroy some cars, and even a newsstand. 

“I’d forgotten what an endless source of entertainment this world is. What memories this brings back. The fear, the destruction, the agony. I feel… truly inspired! Now, let us go give our regards to this… Karai.” the Shredder decreed. 

The turtles were all in the Turtle Taxi, on their way to the Foot building. April had told them about it that she was back in her father’s building. 

After rounding a corner real sharply, the car was in the air almost ready to go on its side, and squealing the tires. “Sorry, guys. I’m still working some of the kinks out of the Turtle Taxi.” Don apologized. 

“No problem. I wanted to see my lunch again, anyway.” Raph complained. 

“Remember the plan. We’re leaving one of our shell cells at the Foot building. This is just a drop and go.” Leo reminded his bros. 

“Right, and then we call Karai, and we say, ’Lady, get out of town.’” Raph smiled. 

Even though they were allies, they just didn’t have time to stop by for a social visit tonight. But up ahead, Don saw some cars blocking the way, having been wrecked. 

“Whoa!” he shrieked, and slammed on the brakes, hard. It stopped them from crashing into the other vehicles at least. 

The four of them looked up and saw six beings in the air, floating toward the Foot building. The leader was causing chaos in the streets. 

“Please tell me that’s not who I think it is.” Mikey whimpered. 

“That’s exactly who you think it is! The original Shredder!” Leo exclaimed. 

“And he’s got those Mystics who destroyed the Tribunal with him!” Raph yelled angrily. 

“They’re heading for… Karai’s! It’s too late to warn her now. He’ll be there in minutes.” Don said. 

“Can we go around? Pass him somehow?” Leo asked. 

“Maybe, if I can clear a path through this wreckage. And I think I have just the thing. Hang on!” Don declared. He pulled his visor down and pressed one of the buttons. 

The retractable armor spread out and Don punched the gas. The taxi’s armor deflected the wrecked cars out of the way. 

Mikey pointed to the left, “Try that way, Donny.” he directed. 

“Don’t be a backseat turtle, Mikey.” Don slapped his hand away, then hit pressed another button. The tires then rotated backwards. He directed the taxi through some more cars, then he threw a line to a blue car and pulled it out of the way. Their path was now clear. 

“You’re the turtle, Donny.” Raph complimented. 

“Uh, I may be the turtle, but he’s, the Shredder!” Don whimpered. They had caught up right behind the Shredder. He had just used his powers on another car, and the man inside was trying to get out. His car was on fire. 

Don pressed a new button and the taxi sign on top of the taxi turned and started releasing a fire extinguisher. It put the fire out, and the man got out of his car, freaked out and ran away from the scene. 

The Shredder was annoyed at what happened. He hated do-gooders. He turned his head to the Turtle Taxi. “What an annoying horse-less carriage.” he said, then proceeded to pick up a cement truck and aimed it at the taxi. The driver man jumped out of it and ran off. “Someone should squash it like a bug. And, I think it will be me!” he exclaimed. 

He released his magic hold on the truck and it started coming down at the taxi. 

Raph rolled down his window to look up. “Oh, shell! Incoming!” he yelled in panic. 

“Hang on!” Don also voiced his panic. He pushed another button and the trunk’s lid popped up and the engine back there was fired into power. It got them out from under the aim of the cement truck just in time, only to end up in through the glass window of a store on its back. The store’s alarm was blaring. 

Luckily, the turtles were all wearing their seat belts. They were in their seats upside down with their hands on the floor. “Jet engines in the trunk. Never leave home without ’em.” Don admitted, then he pushed another button, and the same device on the roof of the car used to stop the fire pushed outward to the floor and pushed their car to its tires again. Don now backed the taxi up again to see where the Shredder was. 

“Where’s Big, Ugly, and Evil?” Mikey asked in a nervous tone. 

“He’s already forgotten about us.” Don pointed. 

“And he’s almost at Karai’s. We’ll never get past him.” Leo said. 

“Which means, no warning Karai.” Raph added. 

“Wait, maybe we still can. There’s a surveillance van outside April’s from Yogami’s people.” Don pointed out. 

“Maybe it’s time for a visit.” Leo agreed. 

Don gassed it and hurried over by April’s. He made sure to slam the van hard, then backed up to give it room to lower its door. Raph had jumped on top of the van. Two men came out to see who had rammed them. Raph grabbed them and jammed them into each other, knocking them out. 

“Haha! The classic hit and stun!” Mikey laughed. 

The turtles hurriedly got into the van. Don began dialing the Foot’s number from there. He got a video screen of Karai on the first try. She was in her battle armor. 

Karai saw the turtles on the line. “The turtles. Hello. I wasn’t expecting you to contact me.” 

“Karai, we’re here to warn you. There’s a-” Leo began. 

“A ghost? An old relic? I know of him approaching, Leonardo. And, I am prepared to fight him.” Karai said firmly. 

“You don’t understand. You can’t fight him. You’ve got to run!” Leo told her in concern.

“He’s not just some old relic. He’s Mondo Bad Evil Guy!” Mikey started. 

“A very powerful demon!” Don added next. 

“There ain’t no way you can take him.” Raph finished. 

“Don’t forget who I am, Turtles. I am the daughter of Oruku Saki. I am the Shredder now. I will not let this old relic scare me away from my home and my position!” She was just angry this was happening. At least she was a Shredder that wasn’t a threat to them. She had made good on that promise thus far, and just as Randall had said too. She was just being stubborn at the moment. 

“I appreciate your concern, Turtles, but I must continue my preparation for him.” she said and hung up. 

“Well, that went well.” Mikey said. 

“Donny, patch us into the lair.” Leo said. 

Don did just that. On screen was the Ancient One. “How do I answer this idiotic contraption?” he knocked on the screen. Randall was in the background giggling. 

“You already did, Ancient One.” Splinter replied and appeared next to him. 

“Oh.” the old man said. 

“Master Splinter, Karai isn’t listening. She’s going to fight the Shredder!” Leo exclaimed. 

“Well, that’s the end of her.” the Ancient One stated. 

“You can’t let that happen!” Randall told his friends. 

“We must save her from her own folly. She has some karmic role to play in all this. I’m sure of it. Continue as we planned. We must get her out of there! Randall, Ancient One and I will meet you at the appointed place. Avoid confronting the Shredder, and, be careful, my sons.” Splinter advised, then the screen scribbled again. 

“Avoid confronting the Shredder, he says. Oh!” Mikey grabbed his head in annoyance. 

The Shredder and the Mystics arrived outside Karai’s mansion. “This is the usurper’s fortress?” the Shredder demanded. He used his magic to destroy the entrance to the building. “Pathetic!” 

The six of them moved forward. Foot ninjas started appearing in huge numbers. The turtles would have had a huge problem with defeating that many, but, as the ninjas attacked, Shredder blasted them with his powers, making all of them go flying away. They all screamed in terror. 

The ninjas were all left badly wounded or dead. 

“I expected to find warriors here, not school children. Go home to your mothers, little ninja!” Shredder mocked them. 

Then, the giant machines, the Foot Mechs came into action. Karai had started using them as well. They all took aim. 

“At last, a chance to display some real power!” Shredder exclaimed. 

One of Karai’s men spoke up, “Hold the line, men! These demons must not be allowed to pass!” 

“This tries my patience!” Shredder proclaimed and he blasted those too. He easily destroyed them. The Foot soldiers in them were left the same as the ones before, mostly finished. 

“Is there no one here who can present the slightest challenge?!” Shredder demanded angrily. He and his cronies moved farther into the building. 

On screen, Karai and a team of her workers saw the damage. “He’s through our initial defenses, Mistress.” a man spoke. 

“Deploy the Foot Tech ninjas with Dr. Chaplin’s new mystic armaments. We shall attempt to slow him a little.” Karai ordered a Foot soldier next to her. He bowed and ran off to deliver the order. 

Another one was next to her, “Mistress, the mayor is on Line 3.” 

“Connect us.” she ordered. 

The mayor was brought on screen. “I can’t keep my people back much longer, Ms. Saki. It’s mayhem over at your place!” he declared. 

“I will sort out my own affairs, but I need more time. I am counting on you, Mr. Mayor. There will be an extra deposit in your swiss account.” she promised him. He smiled. 

“In that case, take all the time you need. I’ll come up with something.” The Mayor replied, then he disconnected the call. 

Karai was sure she could handle the fight ahead. Her organization had been planning since she had heard about what had happened from Yogami’s. She was certain that the new weapons that had been made would be enough. 

The turtles finally made it to the Foot building. They got out and observed the damages too. “Whoa. This looks worse than your room, Mikey.” Raph said. 

“Karai’s forces have been crushed. Time’s running out.” Leo said. “Let’s move!” 

They all ran inside at the order. 

The Shredder and the Mystics had arrived at the top of the building. He had destroyed all of Karai’s business along the way, and any who worked for her. The doors to her penthouse blasted open. 

“Karai! It is time to face the one, true Shredder!” he and the Mystics went inside. 

The four Foot Elite guards jumped out to greet them. Even they often had powers that were like that of a magical being too. But not nearly like the ones they were facing. 

The Mystics wanted to take the Elite guards on, but were stopped by their leader. “Back. Today’s pleasures are mine.” Shredder declared. Then he waved his right arm and he made their weapons rise up out of their hands. 

The Elites were surprised. Their weapons went high into the air and were forced down back on them. They were now out of the picture too. 

“Surrender, and I may spare some of your pathetic lives.” Shredder ordered. He proceeded to move forward and then, he was hit by a mysterious blast of blue electrifying powers. 

He snarled, and was blasted again. Many Foot Techs were cloaked and were giving it to him. He pushed it off like it was nothing. “Parlor tricks. But it won’t be nearly enough to stop me!” he exclaimed. 

The Foot Techs appeared and one ordered them to use some form of magical containment on the Shredder. The stuff used formed some kind of slimy cocoon around him and it laid on the floor. But the Shredder’s powers even ate through that and he blasted his way out angrily, “Enough!” 

His powers continued to blast the Foot Techs too, dropping them in seconds like flies. The Foot organization had underestimated this demon’s powers. 

“Show yourself, Karai! Now!” he ordered angrily. 

Karai could see that what the turtles had said was true, but she still would fight him. “Get me Dr. Chaplin.” she ordered. 

Dr. Chaplin was a young redheaded scientist guy that her father had hired before his demise. He did sort of have a crush on Karai, and was happy to work for her. 

“Status report, Doctor!” Karai demanded. 

“I’m just making some last minute callabrations on the weaponry, Mistress.” Dr. Chaplin replied. 

“Chaplin, we’ve had months to prepare. You should be finished.” Karai stated. 

“This is delicate work. No one’s ever tried this kind of magic tech before. It’s taking some time.” Chaplin explained. 

“Time is one thing we do not have.” She put her helmet on to go face her enemy. “Now ready your men and get here!” she ordered. “The fight is upon us!” She gathered her magical weaponry to go face him. 

Shredder and the Mystics kept on floating forward. “Will you hide forever, Karai?!” Shredder demanded. 

A door lifted up, and Karai appeared. “I hide from no one, Relic! Your time passed long ago! Go crawl back into the grave where you belong!” she ordered. 

“With every word, you call upon yourself an ever more terrible fate!” Shredder threatened her.

Karai stepped forward. “My fate will not be determined by you!” she proclaimed. 

The turtles had finally made it to her penthouse and were ready to assist her. 

“Karai, wait! Don’t fight him! Run!” Leo ordered. 

“Dispose of those creatures!” Shredder ordered the Mystics. They turned to face the turtles. “I have business with the imposter.” 

The Shredder made himself glow, his powers were green energy. 

Karai yelled in anger and made her move to attack the demon. 

The Mystics bared down on the turtles. “Remind me again why it’s a good idea to save Karai?” Raph asked. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure that it is anymore.” Leo replied. 

“Now, Acolytes, join your beloved Tribunal, in the afterlife!” The Metal one exclaimed as he and the other Mystics made their move on the turtles.


	51. New World Order, Part Two

Karai had stopped herself from really attacking just yet. “You decreped ghost! Did you not think I would be prepared for your arrival? I have developed weaponry that will destroy you!” she declared.

“Is that so?” he mocked her.

“Allow me to demonstrate!” she began to make her move. He started preparing himself for her blows.

He threw some balls of magic at her and she deflected them with a new kind of sword.

Mikey and Raph threw some of their power at the Mystics before the Earth one used his magic to come down and grab them all. He got them trapped from the waist down. The turtles tried to pull themselves loose.

“You shall not interfere.” the Earth one warned.

“The usurper will pay for her irrevelerance!” the Metal one exclaimed.

“You have defiled my name long enough!” Shredder exclaimed and went to attack Karai again. This time, he got a hold of her with his powers, picked her up, and threw her into one of her own pillars, winding her. Her helmet came off her head, rolling away.

“Karai!” Leo cried out.

“If not for her, after all, you were the ones that sealed her fate.” the Metal one proclaimed.

“What the shell are you talking about?” Leo demanded, trying to get loose.

“Have you not yet realized?” the Fire one questioned.

“Without you, we would have never been able to free the Shredder.” the Water one said.

“For it was you, who freed us.” the Wind one hissed. Then he changed into the Foot Mystic they would have been familiar with. The rest did the same, laughing as they did.

Leo couldn’t believe this. “The Mystic ninjas. NO!”

“When you took that crystal from Yogami, who stole it from Karai on behalf of Agent Bishop, you set us free!” the Earth Mystic declared.

“No! NOOO!” Leo yelled in anguish.

“Yes! You set the chain of events in motion that led to our Master’s rebirth.” the Wind one explained.

Leo grunted and yelled angrily, then his chi marks appeared, “Wrong!” He slammed his fists down on the entrapment earth and he got loose finally. “We’re stopping it here!” he yelled. He reached for the Gunshin and he fired at a couple of them, hitting the Earth one, knocking him out of the air.

Don, Raph, and Mike also freed themselves and moved to help Leo take the other four Mystics on. All of them had been shocked to hear this that they were the Foot Mystics. Of course, Don had known nothing about taking the crystal, but it had just confirmed what his brothers had told him.

The Wind herald blew some wind at that and it knocked them all down, but quickly got up again.

“On your feet, Little Girl. I am not done with you yet!” Shredder ordered.

Karai got up and called Chaplin again. “Chaplin, where are you, Chaplin? I need you here, now!”

“I’m almost ready, Mistress. We’ll be there, I promise.” Chaplin replied, finishing up the last parts of the new weaponry.

“Calling for help. Pathetic!” Shredder said as he tried to punch her in the head. She dodged.

“It is you, Relic, who is the pathetic one!” Karai retorted angrily.

“I beg to differ!” He picked her up and threw her into another pillar. She tried to prevent herself from collapsing altogether.

“Wretched imposter! You are nothing! Spineless weakling!” he kept insulting her, making her even more mad.

Karai picked up a jar of some magic weapon off her thigh as he began to pick her up again. Then, she smashed it down on his head.

He cried out and he backed away from her, giving her room to counterattack on him. He still dodged her moves. Soon, she had him backed against a wall. “No! Don’t! Please! Show me mercy!” he begged.

Karai was too angry at this point. She stabbed the end of her sword into the demon’s chest. He fell to his knees, his helmet coming off. “You are finished! Good riddance, demon!”

Then the head of the original Oruku Saki showed itself. He looked up at her.

Karai gasped. “Father?”

“My child.” His voice greeted her.

She kneeled down to him. “Father, I-” she started to say, but the face turned back to the pale ghost face of the demon. She backed away, gasping. She had hoped she was seeing her real father.

The Shredder stood up, laughing, “You mortals are such fun to toy with! It is almost a shame I have to destroy you.” He pulled her sword out of his chest and held it up, making it magically manifest into a fanged snake.

Seeing the transformation scared her immensely. She tried backing away. The snake started trying to get her. She dodged it.

Shredder magically pulled his helmet back to him and put it back on.

The turtles were seeing what was going on. “Guys! We have to help Karai!” Leo exclaimed.

Mikey then had an idea. He used his chi to save Karai on the next move by the snake. He was now holding her in his arms.

“Um, awkward.” he noted.

She punched him in the chest. “You must not interfere, Michelangelo! I must face him alone!” she firmly stated.

“Okay.” he sat up.

The Wind one then struck him and carried him back to this brothers and made him knock all of them over.

“You were warned not to interfere!” the Fire one stated, then he set a blaze of fire in a circle around them.

“It will not happen again.” the Water one said next. He then used ice to make a wall so the turtles couldn’t get to Karai.

Karai tried running for the turtles at the time, but was stopped. She turned to face her enemy.

“Alone at last, just the three of us.” The Shredder said.

She gasped as the snake was getting closer to her. The snake continued to strike out at her. She kept dodging.

The turtles had enough adrenaline going that all of them had their chi energies going strong.

“Fight fire with mystic fire, I say!” Leo ordered fiercely. He stopped the heralds’ fire blaze. He then aimed and blasted at the middle of the heralds and it struck the Fire one first, knocking him out. The others all scattered.

The Wind one tried to strike again, but Don retaliated. “Cleaving wind!” he struck back, knocking him out.

“Heads up!” Raph stated.

“Here come the other two.” Leo said.

The Earth one and the Metal one were coming at them this time.

“I got ‘em!” Raph stated, and he fired at them. He got them both.

Karai kept dodging the snake and the snake kept on destroying more of her personal quarters. Soon, she was by another pillar and just when she was ready to use her prongs to take the snake out, the Shredder came down and kicked her in the chest, making her get new the pillar, a little winded.

The snake then took advantage of that and coiled its body around her and the pillar, tightly restraining her. She tried to get loose.

“Tell me, Karai. Will it be the claws? Or the fangs?” Shredder demanded on how she wanted to die.

She grimaced in fear. She had never felt this afraid. Then, both the snake and Shredder tried striking at the same time, and she managed to duck her head. The Shredder struck the snake’s head instead of her.

“What?!” the Shredder was shocked.

The snake transformed back into just a cut-in-half sword.

Karai tried again to fight him, but he got her with a burst of energy. “If you refuse to stay still, then I’ll just have to force you!” he declared. Then he put her to the wall.

She tried to get loose, but to no avail. “Release me, Demon!” she ordered, but it fell on deaf ears.

“Such a course, young woman. I wonder if someone more mannered lies beneath that, rough exterior?” Shredder remarked. He used his magic to take off her armor, revealing just some black clothes underneath. “There. Perhaps I should let you live after all. You would make a fine slave.”

Then, the ice wall was heard cracking. The turtles had gotten through. The Shredder snarled as he turned.

“Let her go!” Leo demanded.

The Shredder floated downward to the floor, landing. “Aw, the little Kapa, serving your ladyship to the very end. How noble!” he mocked them.

“The only thing is we’re serving is your cronies on a plate!” Raph exclaimed. Looking back, the Mystics were all unconscious for the moment. “Well done.”

The Shredder laughed maniacally. “Fools! Those are but the lowest of my minions.” Then he floated back toward the ceiling. Karai finally pulled herself loose.

“I have had centuries to amass my army, both from this world, and the next!” The Shredder stated as his powers began to grow into a bigger ball of energy.

Karai tried running from it, but then she ran over to the turtles instead. It went over them, but the larger it grew, it quickly destroyed the top layer of the Foot building. Now it looked like an open graveyard wasteland instead.

Graves began popping up out of nowhere.

The Shredder floated above it all. “Now, fallen Foot soldiers, and Arch beings of the ancient past, rise, and serve your Master once again!” he ordered.

He used his powers to erect brown fat guys with sticks sticking out of them, grayish figures with green armor, and green winged creatures to come out of the ground. “Let the entertainment begin.” Shredder ordered.

The monsters began advancing on the four turtles and human woman.

The more Mikey looked at these monsters made him reflect, “Uh, guys, the next time I want to go see a monster movie, remind me that I hate monsters!” Mikey told his bros.

“And don’t forget, Randall’s a monster.” Raph pointed out.

“But he’s not like these ones!” Mikey recalled.

“We must work together to slay these monstrosities!” Karai said sternly.

“Oh, now you’re all buddy-buddy, huh?” Raph asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, then. Let’s get to work.” Leo replied.

The turtles all used their chis and they all went to fight the monsters, Karai joining them.

Some monsters were knocked away into little pieces. “Hey! Maybe we actually got a shot at this!” Mikey stated.

But the Shredder reconnected them and made them more powerful. Mikey got knocked into a wall. “Or maybe, not.” he said as he gulped nervously.

Two armored monsters were advancing on him when they were suddenly zapped and disappeared into thin air. “Huh?” Mikey gasped and looked around the wall.

Chaplin and a few remaining Foot soldiers were finally there. “Mistress Karai, I’m here! Sorry I took so long, but I had to recallabrate the ectoplasmic pulse modulator and-” Chaplin tried to explain why he was late.

“Never mind all that! Just do your job!” Karai ordered. She, like the turtles, were in the middle of fighting evil monsters.

Chaplin then ordered his men to get the weapons set.

“What is this feeble monkey chattering about?” Shredder asked.

“I’m talking about what science can do when applied to magic!” Chaplin answered.

“Impudent cub. Be prepared to be torn limb from limb!” Shredder warned.

More armored monsters rose around them and they fired at them, destroying them just as they would appear.

Karai appeared next to Chaplin. “Weapon!” she ordered. He handed her a new sword. He went on to explain something else while she ran off. “Can I tell ya the rest over dinner?!” he called out loud.

Karai went on to slash more monsters closer to the Shredder.

“Do you honestly believe you can mimic true magic with your toys?!” he demanded, and thus making a magical sword of his own.

The two of them went on to clash their swords. Karai soon got a slash on his chest. It just seemed to make him more mad. He slashed at her some more, hitting her sword, and it was destroyed as well. Now she knew she was in trouble. He advanced on her.

Three of his armored warriors came up and restrained her. She tried to get free, but she couldn’t.

The Shredder was ready to do her in. “Never forget our time together.” he said.

Chaplin saw the demon about to strike, and he thought he could stop him, “NO! Don’t you touch her!” He fired and got the Shredder in the stomach, creating a huge hole in his middle.

Karai tried again to free herself.

The Shredder just laughed and healed himself. He then turned to Chaplin. “You care for her. Ah! Star-crossed lovers. Too bad it will end so tragically!” he laughed and made the final slash.

Karai gasped, and she was released so she could fall to the ground.

“KARAI!” Chaplin cried out.

The Shredder then blasted them away too, and monsters got a hold of them too.

The turtles had relaxed their chis, but were still fighting the monsters fiercely.

“The Shredder took out Karai!” Raphael exclaimed.

“And all her magic-based weapon technology!” Leo added.

“Aww, man! We’re all alone, and here comes Big, Dark, and Scary! There’s no way we stand a chance now!” Mikey exclaimed.

“You know, Mikey, I’m not sure we ever did!” Don said in a scared tone.

The four turtles were all trapped in a corner. It was their turn to face the enemy.

“Yo! What happened to our plan? What happened to get Karai and get out?!” Raph demanded.

“That’s what we’re doing. It just got a little complicated is all.” Don stated nervously.

“Come on! Let’s do this!” Leo ordered and he called on his chi again and fired the Gunshin at the Shredder. Mikey joined him next. Don and Raph adding theirs as well. “Center yourselves!” Leo ordered.

The Shredder was only minorly effected. “Poor, pathetic little nothings!” he snarled and blasted a surge of his own powers at them.

It knocked them all back, making their energy stop for the moment. But they got up and weren’t going to back down.

“Come on, guys. Remember what the Tribunal taught us. This isn’t about how much power you command, it’s about the strength you have inside. We have to focus.” Leo explained. He called on his chi again.

“Leo’s right. Remember our training.” Don added.

“Then I didn’t read all them books for nothing!” Raph stated.

“But I didn’t even read any of those books!” Mikey said nervously.

“It’s okay, Mikey. Just focus.” Leo said.

Mikey smiled. “Got it! Focus!” he called on his chi last. All of the turtles were glowing in their chi powers brightly.

“Farewell, crittens!” the Shredder mocked them and threw a bolt of power at them, but it was destroyed.

The turtles all had a mightily glow ball of power around them now. Their powers were growing!

“What?!” Shredder exclaimed in shock. “What trickery is this?!”

The power the turtles were manifesting was only growing stronger. “Leo, what’s goin’ on? I’m feelin’ real weird here.” Raph asked.

“Just keep focusing.” Leo said. “Just like Kon told us.”

They all put their hands together. Their mask tails were all pointing up from the wind. They remembered what the Shisho had said: _“Quiet your mind, to unleash your spirit.”_

The magic started creating an almost tornado-like effect. The turtles were lifted off the ground and into the air. “What’s happening?” Mikey asked in panic.

“Don’t ask! Just keep doing it!” Raph ordered.

The feelings they were having were new and unusual, but they let it get stronger the more they focused, and then, so incredibly, the turtles were transformed into their avatars: all Dragons!

Leo knew that he was a dragon, but there had been no idea that his brothers were dragons too! But it was for all the better to take on the Shredder.

The new dragons all flew around to discover their new potential. They all wore the colors of which ones they were.

“Dragons!” the Shredder was shocked. “Impossible! I will not be defeated again!” he said angrily. He tried to blast them.

The dragons were all before him now and they fire blasted back at him in a rainbow of colors. His monsters were also destroyed.

Down below, on the street, police were trying to keep common citizens from seeing what was happening.

Splinter, the Ancient One, Randall, and April and Casey were on the way in the helicopter, but would wait for the turtles’ signal to come and pick them up. They were already airborne.

The police kept the citizens from getting in. One officer was telling them there was nothing to see, but then, he saw a fire blast from above. “Whoa! Dispatch, you gotta see this!” He saw some dragon shapes above him. Other folks saw it too.

The Mystics awoke and went to try to help their Master, only to see that they were now facing some dragons.

“No! This is not possible!” the Metal one complained.

“Dragons!” the Earth one gasped.

“Four of them?” the Fire one stated.

“There is no reason to fear these, tiny manifestations!” Shredder exclaimed.

That’s what they thought. The dragons blasted him again, knocking him back into the Mystics, sending them all downward into Karai’s building, screaming.

The dragons all came down and circled the building where they went down. They looked down and then, they turned back into their original turtle forms.

They all rubbed their heads. “That was awesome!” Mikey yelled.

“What just happened?” Don asked.

“I don’t know, but I liked it!” Raph smiled.

Leo looked at his brothers, then he heard moaning. It was Karai! She was still alive.

“Come on! Let’s grab Karai and go.” Leo ordered. He ran and picked her up, bridal style. “It’s not too late to save her.”

“Do you think our ride knows where to find us?” Mikey asked.

“Well, we gave ’em a big enough signal flare.” Raph replied.

“April, ready for pick up.” Don called April.

The chopper was now able to come in and get them. April landed it perfectly and the door was opened. The guys carried Karai on board.

The rest of them were able to see the outcome of the battle. Randall saw that Karai looked nearly dead. He knew the feeling from not too long ago.

Karai was set down on the table in the copter as April made the copter take off again.

Shredder and the heralds freed themselves and flew back up to the top in a rage.

“They have escaped, with Karai!” the Wind one said angrily.

“I am finished with Karai! I have grander plans than her!” the Shredder exclaimed. “This world is very different from the one I once knew. But I will not change to suit it, it will change to suit me! Soon, the days of my Feudal empire will be restored. Soon, this city will be my civigal! Soon, I will change all the world, into a dark chaos!” he laughed evilly.

In the copter, the turtles and Randall were all watching Karai cautiously.

Over by the wall, Casey, Ancient One, and Splinter were looking outside. There was lightning and thunder brewing.

“Looks like a storm’s coming.” Casey said.

“No. It is already here.” Splinter said sadly.

April was going to take Karai back to her place. She landed the copter on top of a big building a few rooftops away, and the others all went into her apartment to take care of Karai’s injuries.

Leo carried Karai into April’s bedroom first and April got to work getting her out of her clothes. This first part was a woman’s job. The guys were all out in the living room.

April attended to the big cut on her abdomen that the Shredder had given her, wanting to finish her off. She also had multiple cuts on her face and she felt all over her body. Both her legs had injuries too, as well as her arms. April gave Karai one of her green shirts and some blue shorts to wear. She sewed up the wound on the abdomen before Karai was moved back out to the couch to have help with the other injuries.

Don helped April set the bones in Karai’s legs. The wounds on her face and arms were bandaged up too. Once everything was taken care of, they could only wait for her to wake up.

 


	52. Fathers & Sons/Past & Present

Raph and Leo stood by the windows, watching for anything. Randall and Mikey sat close by nearer to Splinter and the Ancient One. Casey was in the kitchen. He didn’t want to stray far from April at this time. Don and April were watching over Karai. 

“The Shredder really beat the shell out of Karai. I don’t know if she’ll make it.” Don exclaimed. 

“All we can do is wait, and prepare for the battle to come.” the Ancient One said. Splinter nodded his agreement. 

Leo turned away from the window, “Masters, we don’t stand a chance against this Mystic Shredder.” He walked over to his senseis, “You should have seen him. It’s impossible.” He kneeled down next to them. 

Splinter was just trying to stay calm, as was the Ancient One. For right now, they were able to take a break from dealing with the Shredder while trying to help Karai get well again. 

Splinter replied to Leo’s comment, “My son, you four have faced impossible odds in the past. And, like David facing Goliath, you overcame the challenge. Ancient One, do you remember when I brought them to your home in Japan, years and years ago?” he asked the old man. 

“Heh heh. How could I forget. They were such a pain!” the Ancient One replied with a giggle. 

Mikey was so bored right now, but he was listening. That got his attention. It made Randall turn his head as well. “Years and years ago?” Mikey asked. 

“What are you talking about?” Randall asked. 

“Yeah, Sensei?” Don added. 

“Long ago, just after my beloved Master Yoshi’s passing away, I took you all on a journey to Japan.” Splinter began telling a story of what happened back when the turtles were all young kids. They had no memories of this trip. 

Randall wanted to hear this story for sure. 

“You see, through great difficulty, I had procured Master Yoshi’s ashes, and, I was determined to honor his wish; that he be buried in the land of his birth, and near his sensei and adoptive father, the Ancient One. It took all my skills as a ninja to keep us from detection, but, we made it.” Splinter went on. 

The story revealed that the turtles were all super young kids, maybe about three. None of them had masks or gear yet. They couldn’t even read yet. There was some kind of bone demon that was stalking the Ancient One. 

The turtles, as young kids, could see this demon and the adults could not. Which was why the Ancient One had deemed them a pain being that young, thinking they were making things up before, but when he went to the Tribunal’s monastery, he had gone to tell the Tribunal about what had happened to Yoshi, only to find out they already knew. Splinter had been angry before about why the Tribunal had been so dismissive about the Utrom Shredder. 

Splinter eventually believed his sons there was something following the Ancient One and caught up with him. And a battle ensued when the turtles pointed out where the demon had gone to find the demon Shredder’s artifacts. 

Splinter and the Ancient One had almost died because of the invisible demon, and the turtles, Don in particular, had broken the amulet it wore to reveal its presence, and the two adult ninjas took care of the rest. 

The Ancient One was proud of the turtles for the aid that they were able to provide. 

After the fight was over, the young turtles were proud of their father. And that was when the Tribunal found them. 

“Well done, Young One. You have crushed a Bone Demon.” Chikara complimented. 

“Only with the help of Splinter-san, and his young turtle ninja.” the old man explained. 

“We sensed the Foot Mystics would strike to retrieve the artifacts, but knew not when. Their cunning is boundless.” Kon stated. 

“We owe you thanks, Rodent.” Juto said. “You, and your kame children.” 

“Masters, how is it that the children could see the demon, and yet, we could not?” the Ancient One asked. 

“The amulet it wore blinded the wise and world-weary. Only those pure-of-heart, children, were immune to its powers.” Chikara explained. Young Raph and Mikey played with the demon’s body. There was a lot of dust on its clothes. 

“Still, not all children would resist its magic. These four are unique. We will have to watch them, for the future.” Juto stated. Raph made Mikey sneeze while he laughed. 

“However, at present, their knowledge of this night is a danger to them, and to us. Their minds must be relieved of these memories.” Kon said. 

“I suppose so.” Splinter reluctantly agreed. 

“Be purged!” Kon gave off a spell that spiritually removed the memories to the young turtles. Afterwards, it was like they were all drunk, being goofy and such. They would be fine after some sleep. 

Then, Juto summoned a spell that opened a portal to the home Splinter had chosen then. “My burrow!” Splinter said happily. 

“Wait. Splinter, before you go, I have something for your little ones.” the Ancient One said. He took out four colored clothes with eye holes in them. 

“Ninja masks.” Splinter smiled. 

The Ancient One proceeded to tie each mask onto a little turtle. So it had been the Ancient One, their great-grandfather, who had given them their mask colors. 

“Enough foolishness. Enter the portal.” Chikara ordered. 

The turtles walked through first. “Goodbye, little kame. Goodbye, Splinter-san.” Splinter walked through next, and it closed behind him. “Take care of yourselves.” the Ancient One hoped they would be alright.   
…………….

Back to the present, even Casey, Randall and April were paying attention to the story. 

“Wow!” Don said. 

“To think we’d been to Japan and met the Ninja Tribunal when we were just kids.” Leo said with a smile. 

“Yes, my sons, and even though you were very small, you helped win a very big victory.” Splinter explained. 

“Yes! And we’ll do it again! We will find a way to defeat the Shredder! All of us!” the Ancient One proclaimed. 

Leo got up off the floor. “I hope you’re right, Masters, I hope you’re right.” he looked outside as lightning flashed again. The storm just kept on going throughout the night.

So, no wonder the Tribunal had wanted to take the turtles when all of this mess had begun. Leo had to tell that the Mystics had told them that this had really happened after he and Raph and Mikey had taken the crystal from Yogami to save Don’s life back when he was sick as a monster from Bishop’s outbreak. 

“I wonder if they would have taken me with you, if I had been with you that night?” Randall wondered. 

“I’m sure the Tribunal knew of you, Randall. They were watching us for all those years. But time was of the essence. They wanted my sons more.” Splinter stated. 

“I don’t know how useful I could be to them.” 

“It’s alright, Randall. You are still useful to us.” Don said. “They would have been really tough on you, like they were on us. But it’s amazing what we learned from them, the powers inside ourselves we were never even aware of.” 

“I just hope that nothing like this happens again when we finally do get rid of the Shredder.” Mikey pointed out. 

“We shouldn’t have to. We’ll make sure to destroy the Mystics too!” Raph declared. “We’ll get payback for what they did to our friends!” 

“Yes, we will, Raph.” Leo agreed.   
………………

Eventually, the turtles, Splinter, and the Ancient One were ready to leave April’s and went back down to the lair. April would take care of Karai. Casey also came back over to help her out. Randall just wanted to be with his friends right now, but Splinter insisted he stay at April’s for now. 

Randall was sure April and Casey could take care of Karai. What if she needed to go to the hospital? Only they could take her there. 

The lizard monster reluctantly stayed behind, but he went back up to April’s section. He kept an eye out on things out the window.   
…………….

A couple of days later, the Shredder and the Mystics made their next move against the city’s Mayor. He destroyed parts of the City’s Hall. But then, he changed it to his own needs, and he began broadcasting his own powers to get the world as he wanted it.  
…………….

April was in the bedroom with Karai, changing the bandages on her legs. Casey was on the couch. 

Randall was looking out the window on the other side of the building when he spied movement. He glared to get better focus. “Hey, Casey.” Randall said. Casey looked up. “There’s some movement down there outside. Looks like it’s coming toward April’s door.” He looked down again. 

“Lemme see.” Casey said. He walked over, and just as Randall had said, there was someone looking like they were getting ready to bust inside. “Well, let’s give him a grand welcome, shall we?” Casey smiled. 

“Yeah.” Randall smiled back. The two of them went down to deal with the intruder. 

In the bedroom, Karai finally started to show signs that she was waking up when she talked in her sleep. “Father.” Then she shot up in bed. “The Shredder is…” She looked around. “Where am I?” 

“You’re in my home. We weren’t too sure you were going to make it.” April said. 

“You saved me? But, why?” Karai asked and winced when she moved her legs. 

“Four guys, and maybe five, seem to think there’s something about you that’s worth saving. But, if you try anything, I’ll slam you so fast, it’ll curl your hair, sister!” April warned her. Karai glared at her in response. 

Suddenly, there was a racket outside the room and the two women looked toward the door. Chaplin was pushed down hard onto the floor as Casey and Randall pushed him into the room, hard. 

“Yo, April. We found this bozo trying to sneak around back trying to break in.” Casey announced. Even Randall had a serious look on his face, growling at the stranger. 

Chaplin managed to stand up on his own. “Oh, Mistress! You’re alright!” He went over to his leader. “We have to get out of here! We have to get out of this city, maybe even off the planet.” The redheaded man helped Karai to her feet. He led her over to the window. “The resurrected Shredder has made his move! And there doesn’t seem to be a way of stopping him.” 

April, Casey, and Randall looked out the window at what he was talking about too. There was indeed, a big ball of pink energy that was enveloping the city, caused by the Shredder. This was bad. 

The Shredder’s power began to transform New York’s buildings into ones of the Shredder’s designs. More of what a monster world would look like, though not like what they had looked like in Randall’s former world. 

Down in the lair, as Splinter knew things were going to get worse before they got better, he decided to tell his sons what he had been seeing for a long time now. 

He had them all kneeled in front of him to tell them something. “My sons, terrible nightmares have plagued me for some time now.” Splinter began. 

“Oh, is it the one where you show up late to class and you’re not wearing your shell?” Mikey blurted out. More like a dream he would have had. 

The Ancient One came over and smacked him on the head. “Better to be silent and utter fool, than to open your mouth and be you!” he scolded. 

Splinter sighed. Mikey turned his attention back to his father. “In the dream, it is always night, the coldest night I have ever felt. The Shredder rides a demon horse through some twisted woods somewhere in ancient Japan. We are his prey. In the face of his might, we can only run. I am helpless to stop him, as he slays each one of you, my sons. As he comes for me, my Master Yoshi appears. But before he can act, the Shredder strikes him too.” Splinter explained the vision. “I had hoped the dreams would stop, but, they are getting worse.”

“The dream’s in Japan, right? Well, this is New York City. So it’s all good right? Right?” Mikey asked nervously. 

Leo took that moment to call April to make sure. “Hey, April. Everything okay?” he asked. 

April had picked up, “I’m afraid not, Leo. Better get over here right away.” 

The turtles, Splinter and the Ancient One headed back to April’s apartment. 

Chaplin had brought along Karai’s armor. She began getting it on. 

The six males on their way to April’s saw the pink ball of energy. Don was driving the Battle Shell. “What the shell is that?” Leo asked. 

“It is the end of life, as we know it.” Splinter replied. “The Shredder’s dark magic is enveloping the city! Quickly! We must get to April’s.” 

“Hit it, Donny.” Leo said. 

Don gassed it and hurried to April’s. They soon got there and explanations began. 

“Anybody wanna tell me what’s happening?” Raph asked. 

“The Ninja Tribunal always said that the evil Shredder longed to turn this world into a reflection of his own dark soul. A world full of demons and the undead. A world of chaos and pain! So, you see, the Shredder has begun the transformation of the city!” the Ancient One explained. 

Outside, from what the Shredder had changed, the same kind of beings the turtles and Karai and Chaplin had faced before, were now all coming to life on the streets. 

“And it’s a safe bet that he won’t stop until he’s changed the entire planet.” Leo stated firmly. 

“Not without additional energy. The Ancient One and I have meditated on this. We have felt massive fluctuations in the city’s lei lines.” Splinter declared. 

“Leigh lines?” Randall asked curiously. 

“Yes. You see, lei lines are hidden conduits of mystic energy that run throughout the planet. They are essence of the Earth’s very spirit.” Splinter explained. 

“An uncommon number of them converge in New York. Here, here, and here.” the Ancient One added, and pointed to three spots on April’s computer. It was also showing the leigh lines. 

This was all very inspiring stuff to take in. 

That was when Karai jumped into the conversation. “The Key Stones! Chaplin, tell them what we discovered.” she ordered the redheaded man. 

“When the Mystic ninjas escaped Yogami’s control after the crystal was stolen from Karai, we did a lot of research into their magic and what they’d been up to on the sly. We learned that for decades, they had blackmailed city officials into installing three Key Stones around the city.” He plugged in another cord to show the Key Stones’ locations. “One at the Statue of Liberty, one at the United Nations building, and one at Manny’s Meats in northern Manhattan. Great chops. These Key Stones are magic amplifiers of solid ectoplasm, but now, seeing that they are set on junctions of lei lines, whoever controlled them would have control over the mystic energies of the whole planet.” Chaplin finished his explanation. 

The others all gaped in amazement. 

“In our training with the Tribunal, we learned that energy is good nor evil. If the Shredder could make use of the Key Stones, then couldn’t we?” Leo asked. 

“Hm. If we were to access the Key Stones before the Shredder does, and focus our energy into them, then perhaps we could reverse the spell and cripple Shredder in the process.” Splinter replied. 

“Whatever we’re doin,’ we need to start doin’ it, and fast!” Casey declared. The others looked at him and outside. He was right. The ball of power kept growing. 

They all came up with a plan and they were going to split up to take on the Key Stones. Shredder had to be stopped! 

Casey, April, and Chaplin all were going to be in the Battle Shell, monitoring the energy and when they needed to focus their energies into the stones. Everyone wore their ear phones on their heads that had one. Karai and the Ancient One were exceptions. 

Leonardo, Karai, and the Ancient One were going to take the Sewer Sled to the Statue of Liberty to find that Key Stone. 

Donatello, Randall, and Master Splinter were going to take the Turtle Taxi to the United Nations building and find that Key Stone. 

And Raphael and Michelangelo would go to Manny’s Meats and find that Key Stone. They would take Raph’s Shell Cycle. 

When the Sewer Sled team was ready, Leo drove it out over the water. “Alright. We each have a team for each Key Stone. Now let’s all sound off to tell we’re all online.” Leo said. 

“Check. Mikey and I are on the way.” Raph answered. 

“Don here with Randall and Splinter. Wish we could give ya more data on what these Key Stones look like, but we just don’t have any.” Don replied. “However, we do know this, when we find them, we’ve got to blast them with everything we’ve got at the same time.” 

“Roger that, Donatello. Chaplin and I are online and ready to coordinate the timing from here.” April answered him. 

Everyone wore a head phone mic, even Randall so they could all communicate via shell cell, with the exception of Karai and the Ancient One. 

The Turtle Taxi pulled up to the United Nations building and the three of them got out of the car and ran to find anything that might look like a Key Stone. Right now, it was just a guessing game on finding its looks, but there was another way; the ones who wore the amulets would be able to feel it too. 

“We’re at the UN, April. We’ll let you know when we locate that Key Stone.” Don said. He and Randall and Splinter headed toward the building. 

“We’re almost at the Statue of Liberty, April. We’ll call in when we’ve found the Key Stone.” Leo said. 

For Karai, this had been the first time she was helping the turtles in awhile. Sure, she had wanted to take on the demon Shredder herself, but she was still the turtles’ ally. She still just had some stubborn pride that had gotten in the way. Despite her injuries, she was still going to fight. Unless she was dead, she wasn’t going to be weak in the time she was needed most.   
……………

At the Shredder’s new castle, the five heralds sensed some kind of danger to them. They appeared on the outside of the castle, above the roof. 

“Do you sense it as well, brothers?” the Fire one asked. “The reptiles, the old one, the rat, and the wretched Karai, all approach the Key Stones. Shall we tell the Master?” 

“And suffer his wrath for disturbing him?!” the Metal one exclaimed angrily. 

“We must deal with them ourselves.” the Earth one said. 

“Then, let us awaken the Wardens.” the Fire one ordered.   
…………..

Raph and Mikey were getting closer. “We’re uptown. We’re almost at Manny’s Meats.” Raph said, then he found the place. 

He parked the Shell Cycle and he and Mikey got off, putting their helmets aside. “Yo, April, we’re coming up on the third Key Stone. Or at least where it’s supposed to be.” Raph stated. Then both turtles sniffed the air. 

They both were grossed out at the horrendous smell from the dumpster. “I’ve heard of black magic, but this is blegh magic!” Mikey exclaimed. 

“Wha? What a stench! More like Manny’s moldy meats. I think I’m gonna go vegetarian.” Raph said. They both got closer to the building, whether or not they liked the smell around it. “When we get close enough to the stone, the Ancient One said we’d feel it.” Raph stated. 

Their amulets suddenly let off a glow and a humming sound. Mikey looked over and saw some glowing writing on a stone. “Yeah, and I think it’s feeling us too.” he said. “This was a piece of cake! This is gonna be so easy!” he smiled, at least before the cement broke apart and something came from below the ground. It startled them both. 

It was a Wind Warden. 

“You and your big mouth!” Raph yelled.   
…………..

The Shredder’s power was still growing and it enveloped the Empire State Building. 

The Sewer Sled finally reached the island where the Statue of Liberty was. “Well, here we are. Now to find that Key Stone.” Leo said. 

Leo, Karai, and the Ancient One got off the sled and ran to find the Key Stone. 

“There’s nothing here! At least nothing out of the ordinary.” Leo saw around him. Then, his amulet glowed and hummed. The Key Stone did the same, alerting them to where it was. 

“I think you spoke too soon, Leonardo.” the Ancient One said. Then, there was some shaking, making them all gasp. “And we are about to have company as well.” 

Up out of the water came a Fire Warden! It fired its first blow at them, making them all scatter to not get hit. 

At the UN, Don, Randall, and Splinter tried to find their Key Stone, but were seeing nothing. 

“If the stone is among these small poles here, they don’t look all that different from each other.” Randall said. 

“That Key Stone should be around here somewhere.” Don admitted. 

Then, Don’s amulet did let them know. The Stone in front of him glowed and hummed.   
“Whoa! I’m guessing this is it!” he said. 

“You can say that again.” Randall declared. 

“Now to harness its energy.” Don said. 

“Hurry! I sense… something!” There was a crash behind them and they all turned to look. “Donatello! Randall! Move!” Splinter shouted and pushed Don, making him push Randall over as a car came right at them, just barely missing them as it crashed through the glass. 

They were all on the ground, but sat up and saw what had done that throw at them. It was a Water Warden! 

“What is that thing?!” Randall exclaimed. 

“Sensei, any advice?” Don asked. 

“Yes, my son. Hit it! Very, very hard!” Splinter replied in a yell back. 

In the Battle Shell, Casey was driving the truck down south. He could see the ball in his rear-view mirror. In the back, April and Chaplin were still monitoring the timing. 

“How are we doing on time, Chaplin?” April asked him. 

“If my calculations are correct, we have one minute and forty two point five seconds until the Shredder’s dark energy reaches the Key Stones!” Chaplin replied. 

April sighed. “That’s not long. Guys! Guys, we only have a minute and a half to do this! Is everyone in place?” she asked her friends. 

“Yeah, in place and about to be slammed by a Wind Warden!” Mikey replied back. 

The Warden tried to make a punch at him and Raph, but they jumped away. Mikey landed back closer to the Key Stone again, with a banana peel on his head. He sat up and got it off. “Yuck!” Then he looked to his right. 

“Well, the good news is that I’m back to where the Key Stone is.” Mikey admitted. But the Warden tried again. 

“Get out of the way!” Raph came over and moved him before he could be smashed or worse. 

“Course, we’re gonna get smashed if we stand still long enough to start the whole magic energy thingy!” Mikey exclaimed in fear. 

“That’s nice. Move!” Raph yelled again and pushed them to different sides as a wind blast came down after them. 

Mikey started jumping up a building to escape the warden’s blasts. 

At the Statue island, Leo, Karai, and the Ancient One kept on dodging the Fire Warden’s blows aimed at them. Leo soon got the old man on his shoulders. The Ancient One looked at the warden’s body and noticed something on its chest. 

“The furnace, we have to get past the chest plate and extinguish its inner fire!” he proclaimed. 

They all stopped for a moment before more fire strands were fired at them. They all jumped up the wall to the Statue’s footing. 

At the UN, Don was running and trying to get ready, but he had to keep on dodging the warden’s attacks. “Finishing move time! If I can just get a two-second breather!” Don shouted. 

Randall had managed to catch up to Splinter. 

“We will distract the beast!” Splinter replied back to his son. 

“Donatello! Get ready!” Randall ordered at him. 

Splinter jumped up and hit the warden its head with his cane, making it turn its head. 

Randall also jumped onto it and hit it with a tonfa, and he landed close to where Splinter did. 

“That is right, over here!” Splinter taunted it over to them.

“You can’t get us!” Randall added. 

Don now took his chance. His chi marks appeared. 

“Donatello! Now!” Splinter ordered. 

The purple marked turtle ran up to destroy the Warden. “Byakko, unleash the cleaving wind!” Don shouted and the Byakko let out a good blast of energy into the warden’s body, destroying its furnace. Then it dropped to the ground. 

The three of them ran back toward the Key Stone before the warden’s body exploded some more. That fight was over at least. 

Over at Manny’s Meats, Raph and Mikey were ready to get rid of their warden too. 

“Mikey, give him your finishing move!” Raph ordered. 

Mikey’s chi marks appeared and he started running down the building as he pulled out his weapon. “Go, go Inezuma!” He blasted a blow at the warden, hitting it in the arm. He now landed on the ground. 

Now it was Raph’s turn. His marks appeared and he began to spin. “Give ’em shell, Banrai!” he yelled. His energy went through the furnace and their warden too, fell to the ground, destroyed. 

“High three, Raphie-boy.” Mikey said happily. They high three-ed each other and gave each other a thumbs up. They were proud of themselves for taking it down. 

At the Statue, Leo and his human comrades had made it to the foot of the Statue. The Fire warden fired at them. 

“Not good. He’s got us cornered!” Leo stated. He had the Gunshin in his hand. Karai had a magical sword again for a weapon. 

The warden’s arm came down to smash them. 

Karai jumped onto Leo, pushing him out of the way. The Ancient One had jumped the other way. 

Karai groaned in pain as she was allowed to sit up. Leo sat up with her. He had landed on his shell. 

“I’m so glad we’re allies.” Leo admitted. 

“No problem.” Karai added. Then, they both looked at the warden again in anger. They had to get rid of this thing. 

They stood up and Leo focused and his chi marks appeared. “Gunshin! Fight with the fire of the Dragon King!” he ordered his weapon. He blasted the warden with what he had into its furnace, and it fell back into the water. 

The three of them ran back to the Key Stone, as well as making sure the warden was down for good. 

In the Battle Shell, April saw the ball of energy getting closer to her friends. “Guys, hurry! The Shredder’s energy is going to reach you in 16 seconds!” she exclaimed. 

The ball was going to reach the Statue first. 

“When I say go, focus everything you have into the Key Stone!” the Ancient One ordered. 

Leo got himself ready. 

The ball was getting closer, then the Ancient One told him to do what he had to do. “Go, go, now!” 

Leo blasted all his energy from the Gunshin into the Key Stone. A blast of its own energy blasted into the air to start to combat the dark energy. 

Then April turned to Don. “Don, it’s almost at the UN. It’s now or never. You’ve got to do exactly what Leo did.” she ordered. 

Don did the same as Leo and the Byakko gave off a good blast of energy too. Randall was fascinated with this special magic, and at the same time, a bit afraid too, because, if they failed, the world would be doomed to this demon Shredder. 

Now it was Mike and Raph’s turns. “Mikey, Raph, you’re up.” April told the last two turtles. 

The orange and red marked turtles also got ready and blasted their Key Stone with all they had as well. 

All three blasts from the Key Stones arose into the air and collided with the Shredder’s dark energy. It started to reverse the spell! 

As the city started to turn back to normal, the Shredder’s creatures also disappeared that were threatening innocent citizens. When the creatures disappeared, they were all left wondering what was going on. 

April could see on her city’s road map that the evil energy was shrinking. “You did it! It’s working!” she said happily. “Way to go, everyone!” 

The guys were all glad to hear it, but they still had to keep it up a little longer.   
…………..

At the castle, the Mystics were in pure alarm as their Master’s powers were being reversed. They whimpered in fear. 

The Shredder himself was feeling the sensation too and went up to see what was blocking his power. 

“What have you done?!” he demanded. “Something is blocking my power. What is happening?!” 

The Mystics floated down and bowed in front of him. “We did not wish to disturb you. The turtles, they found the Key Stones, and…” the Earth one tried to explain. 

“They discovered the Key Stones, and you chose not to tell me?!” Shredder demanded angrily. 

The Mystics gasped as their angry master sent waves of power to subdue them. They fell to the ground in pain. 

“I will punish you later, but first, my power is being threatened! This will not stand!” Shredder exclaimed. Then he shot himself to the top of his spire of powerful ball of energy, and he transformed into his dragon avatar. 

In his most powerful form yet, he let his energy take over and they combined with the Key Stones and it sent reverse waves back to each stone source. 

All of the good guys were thrown back from the energy that was just too powerful for them to overcome at the moment. 

The whole city of New York and all its buildings and decorations were now the Shredder’s world! The creatures were back too! Even the Statue of Liberty now looked different. 

Leo went over to help the Ancient One up. “Master Splinter, what just happened?” he asked his father. 

Randall and Don were up on their feet, shockingly observing what had just happened to their city and their world. 

“We have lost this battle. Come, let us regroup. We must find another way to fight the Shredder.” Splinter ordered. 

The friends all got in and on their vehicles and headed back to the lair to regroup.   
………….

At the castle, the Shredder was now sitting on his new throne. 

“Fools! Do they think they stand a chance against me? Do they not realize who I am?! This city is mine! And soon, the world!” the Shredder exclaimed.   
…………….

They all soon reunited at the turtles’ lair. Right now, it was better for even April and Casey to stay here. Karai and Chaplain would as well, since they had nowhere else to go at the moment that hadn’t been affected by the Shredder’s evil powers. It was all above ground for the moment. Even Belvedere Castle above in Central Park had been affected too. 

“I’ve never faced anything like this in my time at all, or anytime I’ve ever heard of even from Monster standards.” Randall exclaimed to Don and Splinter on the way back. 

“And this guy is way beyond a simple monster.” Don agreed. 

“We will regroup and come up with a new plan to fight the Shredder.” Splinter stated. 

They all left the garage and went to join the others in the living room. April helped Karai to a guest room where she was allowed to change out of her armor into the relaxing clothes again. Her injuries had to be checked to make sure they weren’t worse. 

The guys started talking about what they were going to do next. 

“I think we’re going to have a lot more help with this fight, Master Splinter.” Leo said. 

“I believe you are right, Leonardo. But who can we get on such short notice?” Splinter asked. 

“The Justice Force for one.” Mikey spoke up. 

“Yeah, they agreed to help us.” Leo said. 

“But who else is capable of fighting at our side? The Foot’s all been but wiped out.” Raph pointed out. 

“As much as I hate to say it, but what about the Purple Dragons and Agent Bishop?” Don asked. 

“You’d have to convince those maniacs something special to not try to hurt us!” Randall remarked. 

“Yeah, but we aren’t having much of a choice, Randall.” Leo stated. 

“It’s too bad the monsters couldn’t help us.” Mikey said. 

“I don’t think they’d want to help us. Human problems stay human problems.” Randall said. “Monsters just get in, do their job, and go back. Ones that aren’t eternally banished from there. I’ll be the monster to help you. I’m not going back again.” 

“Alright, tomorrow, we’ll start gathering our old foes and get them to help us! They won’t like this world either, I’m sure.” Leo stated. “We are the city’s only hope, guys.” 

They all agreed. They would gather their worst enemies and talk them into helping save the city, or it would be the end of the world as they knew it.


	53. Enter the Dragons, Part One

The next day, the turtles and Randall set off to go start gathering some reinforcements while Splinter and the Ancient One stayed in Splinter’s room. April was at home, in her basement, monitoring what was going on in the city. Chaplin was trying to get more magical weaponry busy. Karai was in Splinter’s room too. 

Mikey and Randall were off together gathering their reinforcements. Raph, Don, and Leo were all on their own. 

Splinter, Karai, and the Ancient One were all just waiting for good news that they were going to have the reinforcements for the final battle, hopefully. Splinter ended up having that awful vision again. But this time, he had it while he was awake. He just felt that it was getting closer. 

“NO!” Splinter came out of his meditation, screaming and gasping. He looked around and saw he was in his room, with the Ancient One right across from him, staring at him. 

“The dream again. You see it while awake now.” the old man said. 

“Stronger than ever before.” Splinter replied. He was really worried for his sons. 

“With every passing second, the Shredder’s influence spreads! The more the world that falls to him, the greater his power!” Ancient One stated furiously. 

Then April made a trip in to tell him, “Master Splinter, the guys are about to make contact.” she said. 

“Good. Please, remind them to be careful.” he declared. 

April nodded and left. 

The Ancient One watched the redheaded woman leave and then, he turned his attention to Karai, who was meditating a ways over from them. “So, young lady, do you think you are ready to rejoin this battle?” he asked her. 

Karai opened her eyes and replied angrily, “I think we should strike at this demon Shredder, drain his dark heart of all energy, and leave him lifeless!” 

Splinter looked worriedly over at the old man. “She’s ready.” Ancient One smiled, putting his hands together.   
……………

Across the city, some Stone Oni warriors were trying to break into a compound that had been deep underground that had Agent Bishop, Baxter Stockman, and a small band of commandos in there, trying to keep them out. 

“Our generators are at 15%!” Stockman exclaimed. “The last wave of creatures took out two squads of commandos.” 

“What are these beasts? What’s happening to this city?! I require answers, Dr. Stockman!” Bishop warned Stockman. He hated unexpected surprises like these ones, especially after incidents with real aliens and the one that they had gotten out of not too long ago with mutated animals and Donatello. 

“All I know is that this time, I had nothing to do with it.” Stockman replied. 

The Stone Oni were about to break in. “We can’t hold them much longer!” One of the commandos called out. 

“The outer shell’s been breached!” another said. 

“They’re coming in!” a third shouted. 

The door was just about to be pushed in, when there was a big blast at the entrance, and then, it was over. 

Leo had been the one to blast all the Stone Onis down and he dropped a spare shell cell down on the ground. He had left a big hole for the victims to get out of. He ran off before they saw him. 

When Bishop, Stockman, and the commandos went outside to investigate what had happened and who had helped them, there was a phone on the ground ringing. Bishop picked it up, “I’m listening.” he said. 

Bishop was given instructions on where to meet their hosts if he wanted to know what was going on and to stop the threat invading the city.   
…………..

Across town, where the Purple Dragons headquarters were, that now looked like an old Japanese building with the Shredder’s signature looks to it. 

Dragon Face was making plans to start a war with wanting to get rid of these evil creatures in the streets. 

“If these undead uglies want a war, they’ve got one!” He went over to a box and pulled out some bazookas. “Time to bring out the heavy artillery!” 

Raph was on the roof now and he snuck into the building through a window. He jumped down real silently onto a man guarding the window, and he didn’t see him until the last second. He left the man unconscious and dropped a shell cell down onto Dragon Face’s head. 

“Ow! What the?!” He looked up and saw something or someone running off and he saw his man hanging over the railing. He looked down and saw a turtle shell thing on the ground. It started ringing. He picked it up. 

It opened up and he stated, “This had better be good!” 

Raph gave him the instructions on what to do and where to meet.   
……………

Around town, some green Kapa Tengus were threatening civilians. 

The Justice Force was on the job. The turtles hadn’t lied to them that there was a threat that had been on the horizon and they were dealing with it now. 

Silver Sentry picked up one of the Kapa Tengus and threw him down hard, leaving him unconscious. Raptar was beside him, doing the same. Nobody came down and face punched a third one. Metalhead was with them too. They regrouped. 

Sentry attacked and took three more Kapas down. 

Mikey and Randall were together and Mikey set off his Turtle Titan spotlight to let them know the Justice Force was needed. 

“Nobody, Metalhead, look!” Raptar pointed. They all looked and saw Mikey’s signal. 

“The Turtle Titan! Come on!” Sentry ordered. They went to meet their reptilian friends. 

They too were told where to meet.   
…………..

Leo was running across rooftops, heading for the meeting spot. Little did he know that he had been spotted. But he did pull up finally to talk to April. 

“April, it’s Leo. Mikey and Randall just made contact. After Donatello reports in, have him hook up with Chaplin to make sure the magic tech weaponry is ready. Things are looking pretty ugly out here. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.” Leo explained. 

Leo sensed someone was behind him. “Who’s there?!” he demanded, turning around. 

He saw some forms behind him and he recognized them. “No! It can’t be! It can’t be!” he stated fearfully. He thought they were dead.   
…………..

The meeting place was in the turtles’ other lair, that had been ripped to pieces by Yogami months ago. 

Don, Raph, Mikey, and Randall were in there, waiting for Leo to show up, and the other parties they had sent for. It was rather boring. 

Mikey kept on tossing a rock into the air in his hand. Don had his elbows resting on his legs with his head in his hands. Randall was crouched on top of the debris pile, his top arms crossed while his lower arms balanced him. Raph just stared down. He missed this old lair; they all did, but the bigger lair was worth having too. 

Suddenly, Leo’s voice surprised them a bit, “You guys are never going to believe this, but look who showed up.” He came in and gestured with his left arm, who was right behind him. 

To Randall, he didn’t recognize the four humans who were coming in following Leo, but his fellow turtles did. 

“Faraji!” Raph stated. 

“Adam?” Don asked. 

“Torra!” Mikey shouted. 

“Joy!” Raph finished. 

The three turtles got off the debris and ran to meet their friends excitedly. 

Randall had been told of their friends, and was told they had been killed. But, how was this possible? He hesitantly got off the pile too to go meet them. 

“Man, it is great to see you guys!” Raph exclaimed as he and Joy shook hands. 

“But, how is it you’re alive?” Don asked. 

“Like we told Leonardo, after the fight with the Mystics and their demons, we each saw a white light.” Joy began. 

“Usually not a good sign.” Adam said next. 

“But we awoke in the ruins of the Tribunal’s monastery.” Torra added next. 

“Bruised, battered, but very much alive.” Faraji finished. 

“Thanks to the power of the Ninja Tribunal, no doubt.” Leo admitted. 

The eight reunited acolytes were all smiling at one another. 

“Speaking of which, Faraji, I believe this is yours.” Leo said as he took off the Gunshin trying to give it back to him.

Faraji wasn’t sure. “No, Leonardo. I-”

“You are the rightful owner. I was only looking after Gunshin in your absence.” Leo said. 

Faraji took his sword back and put it on. “You honor me, my friend.” 

“And guys, from the time we spent with you, and told you about a very special friend.” Mikey spoke up. The others all gave him their attention. “This is our very good friend, Randall.” Mikey introduced him. 

Now the lizard felt a little nervous. “Hi.” 

“Randall, it’s so good to finally meet you.” Joy said as she came over to shake a hand. He gave his right upper hand. 

“Heh, nice to meet all of you too. It’s rare to meet trusting humans.” Randall stated. 

“Aw! Look at what we got here!” Dragon Face remarked sarcastically after that, taking them all by surprise. 

Randall and the acolytes took out their weapons. Leo was kind of out of a weapon at the moment, but Randall gave him one of his tonfas. 

A group of the Purple Dragons were accompanying their leader into the meeting spot. “We come at a bad time?” Dragon Face demanded.

Then, there was another voice, “You turtles invited the Purple Dragons? You must be desperate.” It was Stockman, accompanied by Bishop and some commandos. He was in another new body, one that had many guns on it. 

“Control yourself, Dr. Stockman. We’re here on business.” Bishop ordered. 

“Speaking of which, I have one little question. What’s to stop any of us from taking out you reptiles right here and now?” Stockman started to take aim at them. 

“Us, for one!” came Sentry’s voice. Everyone looked to the upper level of the old lair. 

April, Casey, Splinter, the Ancient One and the Justice Force all stood up there, watching furiously. Sentry then dropped Splinter and the Ancient One down to the turtles. 

Leo gave Randall back his tonfa as he started to explain. “Okay, let’s get started. We asked you all here because of what’s going on in this city. The transformations, the monsters; it’s all the work of an ancient, resurrected demon. The original Shredder, from the 4th century A.D. His power is growing by the minute. The evil that transformed this city is spreading over the world; the entire, world.” Some gasped at hearing this. “Whether we like it or not, we’re all in this together.” Leo finished the explanation. 

“And I should believe you because…?” Dragon Face demanded with crossed arms. 

“Believe him!” Karai and some left over soldiers and Chaplin at her side. She was in her armor. “I have the scars to prove it!” she exclaimed. 

Splinter and the Ancient One came over next to her. “Karai herself has an important role in all of this. It seems all who take on the mantle of the Shredder unknowingly create a link with the very same ancient and malignant energies we battle today!” Splinter explained. 

“Karai has inherited that link.” Ancient One stated. 

“And we hope to use this in our favor during the coming battle.” Splinter said. 

“Karai, are you really going along with all this mumbo jumbo?!” Dragon Face demanded. 

“At first, I too, thought it absurd, but, through meditation, I have felt it. The energy link is very real.” Karai replied. 

“So, what’s your plan?” Bishop asked. 

“The Shredder is a Tengu, a demon, its essence has never been destroyed. But, its physical form is vulnerable.” the Ancient One stated. 

“Three artifacts were united to resurrect the Shredder. His helmet, guantlet, and body. If we can somehow separate these three once again, he shall be greatly weakened.” Splinter explained. 

“But first, we have to get to him. That’s where Chaplin and his magic tech weapons come in.” Leo proclaimed. 

“I’ve done some fine tuning since our last encounter. We should be good to go now.” Chaplin announced on his part. 

“So, we’ll blast through his armies, and then take on Shredder himself.” Leo said. 

“And, to aid in that attack, I will use my link with the Shredder to drain away as much of his dark energy into myself as I can take, further weakening him.” Karai added. 

“It’s not going to be pretty. Legions of undead ninja, a city full of demons, flying Tengu, and the five Mystics.” Leo stated what they were going to have to deal with. 

“You must all be prepared for the very worst! We face the Shredder, the greatest evil to ever walk the Earth!” Splinter warned everyone. “This will be the fight of our lives!” 

After that, mostly everyone ran to the surface together. April went back to the turtles’ lair to monitor the video screens. Casey was going to go, but he was told to watch April’s back, just in case. Randall was asked if he wanted to stay too as extra backup, but there was no way he was missing out on this action. He knew he could still help in some ways too. He had missed enough of his friends’ actions. 

The turtles, and all their recruits, enemies and friends alike, were now gathered to face the army of demons in front of the Shredder’s fortress castle, that was behind a big, think brown wall. 

Everyone took out their weapons if they had one. Leo was at the head of his army, and had his katanas back. Randall stayed closer to Master Splinter. 

Lightning flashed across the sky. 

Leo raised his right arm and yelled, “Attack!” He went into battle with a battle cry. He and his army charged. 

Randall made sure to use his tonfa for sure on these creatures. He had wanted to be a part of this battle. He had missed fighting with his friends. He wasn’t missing out on this! He would even fight how he used to fight, with even using his invisibility. But he made sure to avoid the rock warriors and blue-green Kapas. He stuck to more of the undead ninjas. 

Everyone else did a good job of hitting and blasting their ways through the evil army. Chaplin, Bishop, Stockman, and commandos did a good job of shooting at them, and making them disappear like before. 

The Justice Force were also good at taking them on. Silver Sentry just pushing right through them. Ananda going up in her dome bot and shooting at the flying Tengus. Chrysalis created a mind power and she blocked some flying Tengu from getting at her. 

The human acolytes also began a fight too. They used their weapons real good. Adam’s hammer created a blast that got through some dead ninjas. Faraji used the Gunshin to clear a path for Splinter, Randall, Ancient One, and the turtles. 

Karai also had another magical sword on her. 

The mutant family got to the thick wall. Leo and Don felt it. Then, Don called over to Bishop, “Agent Bishop, we need a door!” 

“Doctor!” Bishop ordered. 

Stockman hated these orders. “Once again, my genius used like a blunt weapon.” he complained. He shot through the wall, creating a good-sized entrance. 

The turtles started to enter, only to see more demons on the other side. It included the Nezumi, Stone Onis again, brown stick demons, more Kapas, and winged Tengus. So many to pick from. 

“Oh shell!” Mikey whined. 

Then Bishop and his commandos came from behind Raph and Mikey. “I suggest moving out of the way.” he ordered. They all began firing their guns to clear a path for them to get through. 

In the castle, the five Mystics were all concerned how this fight was going to end up. They were mad their Master was doing nothing to stop it. 

“Where is the Shredder?! They attack and the Shredder does nothing!” the Fire one exclaimed. 

“The Shredder spreads himself too thin! He should destroy the turtles and Karai, instead of playing these games!” the Metal one added. 

Then, the entry way doors burst open. They all turned in anger to see who it was. 

“It is you who will be destroyed, Mystic scum!” Karai exclaimed angrily. “For we have all our forces arrayed against you!” 

Karai had all eight acolytes with her, human and turtle alike, Splinter, the Ancient One, and Randall ready to take them on. They all wore expressions of deep anger and some, even bared teeth. Randall sure did. 

But then, the Mytics saw some of them that they remembered from the last fight with the Tribunal. 

“Remember us?!” Adam declared, pounding his hammer. 

The Mystics approached them, seeing if they were real. “No! That’s not possible! We destroyed you!” the Metal one yelled at them. 

“Yes! And now it’s time for us to return the favor!” Joy retorted. 

Adam used his chi to make his Bear spirit appear. It roared in anger. 

Joy used hers to bring forth the Hawk. 

Torra brought forth his Wolf. 

Randall couldn’t help but look up at those awesome creatures coming from these humans. The training had been described to him, but he had never imagined seeing it for himself. 

The Earth herald tried to make the first move from his side. 

Mikey used his chi to take a blast at him. Then Adam’s Bear hit him into the wall, and finally smashing him to pieces. 

Raph took the next blast at the Fire one, making him land in the water that was in the room. Joy’s Hawk took him down by pushing him under the water and doing away with him. The Hawk screeched proudly. 

Don took on the Water Mystic. The cleaving wind weakened him just enough for Torra’s Wolf to jump in and put the bite of him, and he splashed like the Wolf had just bit water. He had a good drink. 

The Wind one tried to take on Faraji. The African man used the Gunshin to make some flames from the Dragon King, and blasted the Wind one away for good. 

The Metal Mystic was scared now. He was alone. The Hawk kept him from going anywhere, but didn’t attack him. He was about ready to do something, when Karai came running up and angrily sliced her sword down his body, slicing him in half. 

Karai put her sword away for the moment. Mikey was next to her. “I gotta say, destroying those guys felt good!” he stated proudly. 

“Maybe, but now we got to figure out a way to get in there. The Shredder’s throne room.” Leo said. 

Then, the doors just opened at his words. All of them braced for a fight. Even Randall.

The Shredder laughed evilly, “That won’t be necessary to break through. Come right in. I’ve been waiting!” he exclaimed. His evil, red eyes glowed in anticipation. 

He got up, ready to face his opponents. “I see before me, children and freaks, who carry the trappings and weapons of the Dragons. Could you be the students of the Ninja Tribunal? You are pathetic! You have no power!” The turtles all made their chis appear, though everyone braced themselves. “You cannot stop me!” Shredder mocked them. 

“We will not allow you to have this world, Shredder! It ends here, Demon!” Splinter snarled at the Tengu. 

Randall had never seen Splinter this angry before. But in this case, it was fine. 

“The only thing ending here, Rat, is you!” the Shredder retorted at him. 

Leo stepped in front. “Remember, we have to separate him from his helmet and guantlet, no matter what!” he proclaimed. “Let’s do this! Now!” 

The seven acolytes who still had the magical weapons all fired their powers at the Shredder. 

Splinter, Ancient One, Karai, and Randall all stood by for a moment, watching what went on, but then, Splinter said, “Now is the time, Karai. You must focus your energies. Feel the Shredder. Zap him of his powers!” he demanded of her. He sat down. 

“We will help you.” the Ancient One said. He and Karai sat down next. Randall hurriedly joined them. He sat in his own unique way. He hadn’t been learning these meditation techniques for nothing. 

Green energy began to rise from them all. “He must be weakened so the others can separate him from his guantlet and helmet!” Splinter stated. 

The Shredder stopped all the acolytes’ powers coming at him. “Weak fools! You are all powerless!” Then he felt something was wrong. He cried out as some of his energy began to transfer to Karai. 

She winced as she wasn’t used to this and her injuries bothered her a little. 

The others were blinded for a moment it was so bright. 

“You drain my power?!” Shredder exclaimed. 

Bishop, Silver Sentry, Chaplin, Stockman, and Dragon Face came running into the entrance to see what they were dealing with. Even they were blinded for a moment too and covered their eyes. Bishop had his eyes already protected with his sunglasses. 

Shredder finally had some energy drained from him and he fell to the floor. 

Dragon Face walked up to the Shredder. “So much for your big boogey man. I thought he’d be scarier, the way you freaks described him.” he said. He gave Shredder’s arm a kick. 

Shredder’s eyes opened again. 

Raph and the Silver Sentry came running up. “Dragon Face, get out of there, now!” Raph shouted. 

“What’s the big- Oh crud!” Dragon Face said as he was grabbed by his shirt. He was lifted off the ground by the Shredder. 

“Pathetic creatures! How dare you!” Shredder said angrily and threw the Purple Dragon leader to the floor again. Raph jumped over him as he landed. 

“OW!” the man cried out. 

Silver Sentry then tried to fly up and put a fist to him, but Shredder grabbed his fist. He stopped him, held his hand, and threw him through the roof. 

The Shredder glowed green powers around his body. “Aw! I am pleased. I had worried that assuming this world would be boring. Now, destroying you all will give me enough of a thrill to keep me amused for centuries. But, we require a larger arena.” He created a ball of energy to capture them all in. 

“Attack! Now!” Leo ordered. He and the acolytes tried to attack. 

Splinter, Ancient One, and Randall were aware of it just in time and tried to stop them. 

“Guys, no!” Randall cried out. 

“No, my sons!” Splinter called out as well. 

The ball of energy became like a tornado, picking them all up. It continued to come for Karai. 

“Mistress Karai!” Chaplin called to Karai, who was still deep in meditation. 

“Chaplin, we have to pull back! Chaplin!” Bishop ordered. 

“We can’t leave her.” Chaplin said. He tried to bravely make her snap out of it and grab her, but he was zapped. He was knocked down, unconscious for the moment. Karai was consumed by the green tornado too, but she wasn’t picked up like the others were. 

Bishop pulled Chaplin away. 

The Shredder laughed maniacally now that he had all his enemies in his grasp. Then, he expanded the energy ball to the outside, to where it was woods. Everyone was spread throughout the woods. 

The acolytes were the closest. 

Splinter, Randall, and the Ancient One were way behind the trees. 

The turtles all got up. 

“Did anyone catch the number of that demon who ran us down?” Don asked. 

There was a roar of a monster, and the Shredder laughed as he came forth on a demon horse. “It has been fun, and it promises to be even more so, as I end your lives.” he exclaimed as he began to walk toward the turtles. 

This was the scene of Splinter’s haunting vision!


	54. Enter the Dragons, Part Two

The Shredder stood before them all, ready to take them out, but they knew they had to take him out first. 

“Prepare, all of you, for a slow, agonizing end to your small and worthless lives!” the Shredder exclaimed. 

“Alright! Let’s not give him an easy target! Spread out and get ready!” Leo ordered. He and his brothers were determined to finish this. 

Their human friends stepped forward voluntarily. “Your friends are right beside you, till the very end.” Joy declared. 

“Remember, we have to weaken him by separating him from his guantlet and helmet. It’s our only chance.” Leo explained. 

“There are no chances left!” Shredder stated and started to charge at them.  
……………

Around the castle fortress, the other forces were doing their best to hold off the Shredder’s armies. 

“Commandos, give it everything you’ve got! We don’t have to be nice! Remember, these are undead ghouls!” Bishop ordered his commandos. 

Flying tengus came down and flew off with a few Purple Dragons. Others were being chased and driven off. The Shredder’s minions were too powerful against the average human without a gun. 

Undead ninjas started coming out of the ground and Bishop fired at them while they were able to take out other humans. But then, Bishop wasn’t like the average human. He took out a flying tengu and even a Stone Oni warrior. 

He fought off more ninjas and finally had a moment to call the commandos to him. “Commandos, rally to me!” he ordered. 

The commandos were trying to take out all that they could. But the power from the Shredder’s forces were becoming overwhelming. Raptar even took a mace and did a spinning motion as he bravely slammed through a Stone warrior. He smashed it to pieces. 

Silver Sentry tried to do the same, but he got punched pretty hard. He was sent flying back into a Japanese building. 

“Sentry, hang on!” Nobody said. He and Metalhead went to save their leader. They began pulling rocks and pieces of debris off of Sentry. They soon found him. He was still alive. 

Nobody pulled Sentry out of his spot. “Silver Sentry, what’s happening?” he asked. 

“We’re losing!” Sentry replied seriously. 

Inside the castle, Dragon Face came out of his unconsciousness. “Forget this nonsense! Nothing is worth fighting demons!” he declared angrily, until he saw where he was. He saw lots of gold and jewelry lying around him! “Nothing, except this! If I gotta risk my life, I might as well be rewarded for it!” He grabbed some pearls and began to collect some more of the treasury. 

Back where Karai, Stockman, and Chaplin were, they were beginning to recover from what had happened. They hadn’t been picked up like the acolytes had. 

Chaplin was the first up and he looked for Karai. He saw her form lying down. “Mistress? Mistress Karai!” he got up and made his way over to her to see if she was alright. “Mistress?” he asked. She woke up and looked up at him. “Thank goodness you’re alright. Let me help you.” he said gently. 

Over a few feet away, Stockman’s image was flittering in and out of static. “Help me!” he ordered. 

Bishop came over to him and kicked him. “Stockman!” The image of Stockman came back online perfectly. He looked up at his boss. “On your feet! There’s work to to do!” Bishop ordered. 

Stockman managed to push himself up. “Why can’t I ever be left alone to expire in peace?” he demanded. 

Bishop went over to check on Karai. “Karai, you’re alive. Now, if you haven’t noticed, we’re losing. You’ve got to use your link with the Shredder and continue your assault.” he declared to her. 

Karai knew this. She jerked off Chaplin’s hands. “Stand back.” she ordered and got into her pose for meditation again. Her energy radiated from her. She tried to reconnect with the enemy. 

Bishop then ordered Stockman and Chaplin, “You two, protect her. I have to go see if we have any forces left.” he said and left. 

Chaplin recognized Stockman from when they used to work together. “Dr. Stockman! You and I are a team again! Isn’t it just awesome?!” he proclaimed. 

Stockman had always felt jealous of the younger man, and disliked him. He reluctantly replied, “Thrilling beyond words. This day couldn’t possibly get any worse!” He was annoyed by Chaplin’s presence.  
……………

Out in the arena, the Shredder was charging at the acolytes. 

“Here he comes. Everyone, focus!” Leo ordered. 

They all had their chi energies ready to use against him. Shredder tried going for Raph first, but he dodged the weapon. 

“Run, but you cannot hide!” the Shredder mocked him. 

“Oh yeah! Bring it on!” Raph smiled, wanting to face him and have a good challenge. He jumped onto the Shredder’s horse and met the Banrai against the Shredder’s weapon. 

Joy tried to go up and help her best turtle friend, but the Shredder threw Raph off and into her. 

Torra tried next, but he easily knocked him over. Mikey tried next, but the Shredder caught him in an energy field, like Karai at her building. He did a squeezing motion. It made the orange wearing turtle cry out in pain. He lost his focus and the Shredder dropped him to the ground, hard. Then he tried to send him back to a big, thorned tree. 

Don tried to block him from getting there, but Mikey was pushed hard into him, sending them both back into the tree, hard. They were both rendered out. 

Leo, Adam, and Faraji were all that were left. 

“Rush him all at once! Now!” Leo ordered. 

The three friends tried to take the Shredder all at once as ordered, but the Shredder seized them all in his energy fields. It stopped them too from getting to him. 

Over behind a few trees, Randall came to his senses again. He didn’t see his tonfas, but he heard an evil voice. He got up and went to see what was happening. He got there just in time to see the Shredder holding Leonardo, Adam, and Faraji in a green energy field. He wasn’t sure what to do at the moment. 

“Aw! The Mystical Fangs of the Dragons.” Shredder pointed out. “Children should not be allowed to play with such powerful toys! The consequences could be… deadly!” his eyes fired up dangerously. Then he increased his strength of power on the three of them. 

It made them all cry out in pain. And then, there was a big blast of light. Randall had to close his eyes. This was very scary, even for him. But when he looked again, he couldn’t believe it! He had a feeling his friends were dead. This couldn’t be happening!

But after the blast took place, Splinter also came to his senses too. He began running to find his sons. He finally got to the edge of the trees. He saw the human acolytes first. He also had a cut on his right arm from the tree. He went over to Torra and felt for a pulse. He found none. 

Then, he looked over and saw the turtles. His sons! “No! Not my sons! Not my sons!” He ran over to them. As he looked down in grief upon them, he stated, “It cannot be! My worst nightmares, come true! My children! They have all been…! This can’t be happening!” Splinter yelled in anguish. He fell to his knees. Then he fell a pat on the shoulder. 

Splinter looked to his left, and he saw the old man. “Ancient One.” 

The old man felt bad for Splinter, but then, he screamed out in pain as a green flash of energy struck him too. Splinter’s eyes widened. The old man fell forward, now dead too. 

“No! Not you too!” Splinter said sadly. Then he whimpered in fear as he heard the evil laugh of the Shredder. He looked up in fear. Randall had stayed back out of shock, but he saw what was happening. 

Splinter’s eyes were wide as the Shredder was coming for him next. “Now, it is your turn to perish, Nezumi!” Shredder exclaimed and he started to come for him. 

Splinter would fight till the bitter end. 

Randall wasn’t going to let that happen! He bared his teeth, growled and vanished from sight. He charged full speed at the demon horse carrying the Shredder. 

Just as the Shredder was getting close to Splinter, Randall was close enough and made a powerful leap at the demon. He came into contact with the armor, but not the deadly spikes on it. 

The Shredder felt a heavy weight hit him, and he fell off his demon horse, screaming in surprise as he and the weight went down together to the ground. 

Randall managed to land on his hands and feet and he backed away. “Take that, you evil, pathetic demon!” he snarled angrily. 

Splinter was a bit surprised that the Shredder had even fallen off the demon horse like that. He hadn’t done that in his vision. But then, he heard the voice. It was Randall! 

The Shredder sat up and looked around, not seeing anything. “Whatever you are, I will make you pay for that!” he snarled angrily. 

Then, surprisingly, out of the amulets on the turtles, four Dragons, their avatars, roared into action. It got the Shredder’s and Randall’s attention, as well as Splinter’s. 

The Dragons combined into one life force spiritually, and out of that combination was the spirit of Splinter’s Master Yoshi! 

Randall was amazed at this and jumped away even though he wasn’t seen. He knew that something big was about to take place if it involved a spirit. 

“Master Yoshi?” Splinter stated. He had seen him in the vision. He was glowing in a golden flame. He got in front of Splinter, ready to face him. 

The Shredder still had his weapon in his hand. He was charging at Yoshi. Splinter was worried he would finish him again, like in the vision. 

As the Shredder laughed evilly, and charged and thought he was going to kill his adversary in front of him, Yoshi grabbed the weapon in the Shredder’s hands. He lifted him up and slammed him head first into the ground. Then, Yoshi floated into the air, twirling the Shredder’s weapon. 

The Shredder regained his feet and stared up at Yoshi. “I do not know who you are, but know this: you will suffer greatly for this!” He started to use a new ball of energy, and that was when Yoshi used the weapon to slice it back on him. 

A huge cut slashed across the Shredder’s chest. He cried out in real pain. His own energy had been used against him. 

While the Shredder was writhing in pain, Yoshi then looked over at the turtles. He began to give his soul back into the their chi amulets. It gave them back their lives. 

Randall watched from the treeline. This was amazing! He knew his friends had been dead, but now, they were back! He never would have imagined anything like that! 

Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey began to rouse and get to their feet after rubbing their heads a little. “My sons!” Splinter ran up to greet them as they were coming to. 

Shredder held the wound in his chest. “This changes nothing!” he snarled angrily. Then, he reached for the sky and started doing something else. Stuff began to get drawn more toward the Shredder. 

“He is reconcentrating all of his powers.” Splinter stated. 

Randall then took this time to run to his friends. He reappeared to them. “Are you guys alright?” he asked in concern. 

“I think so.” Don replied. 

“Hold on, everyone. Now is not the time to discuss this.” Splinter said.  
…………..

Over by the castle, Bishop, his commandos, and what was left of the Purple Dragons were shooting at all the creatures still coming at them. 

“Hold the line, Men! Hold the line!” Bishop ordered. Then, all of a sudden, the creatures started to evaporate into the air. “What’s happening? Why are they retreating?!” he demanded. He growled as they were gone now. 

The Purple Dragons were in shock when the creatures began to evaporate too. 

Everyone on the Justice Force was also baffled by what was going on too. 

The Shredder’s powers were coming back into their creator, thus shrinking on the island’s city. Everything the Shredder had created, was going back to the way it had been formally. 

It even passed over Stockman, Karai, and Chaplin. 

“What’s happening?!” Stockman exclaimed. 

“The Tengu Shredder is pulling his energy back into himself!” Karai stated. She was still trying to re-establish her link with him. 

Dragon Face was also greedily trying to grab as much treasure as he could get into his arms. As the energy passed over him, his treasure went too. He grumped at having lost his prizes. 

The Shredder finally finished drawing all his energy back into himself. He glared angrily at the little family in front of him. He now saw the lizard with them too. 

The turtles looked around themselves. “Everything’s changing back. Do you think, do you think it’s over?” Don asked in amazement. 

The Shredder mock laughed at them and he began to change into another form. Wings sprouted from his back. 

“Not by a long shot!” Leo declared. 

The Shredder proceeded to change into his Dragon form. 

Randall had never seen that before, but he was now. 

Splinter turned to the turtles. “Now, my sons. Reach deep within yourselves. Manifest your avatars, and fight!” he ordered. 

“I have faith in you guys.” Randall added. 

“We can do this. Remember what the Tribunal taught us. We have to work together.” Leo declared. 

The turtles all closed their eyes and focused, bringing on their chi marks again. Their chis made their bodies begin to glow brighter. Splinter and Randall had to shield their eyes from the blinding light. 

The four turtle brothers then went up into the air again, like they had done at Karai’s. They were once again, transformed into their Dragon avatars. 

The new Dragons all roared their rages and went to face the Shredder’s Dragon. They all lined up in front of him. 

Splinter and Randall got off the battlefield. They knew it was going to get ugly before it got better. 

The evil Dragon flew up onto the city’s buildings and started blowing fire everywhere. 

Don and Mikey’s Dragons flew in to try to stop him first. They blew their own fires at him. They got too close and the evil Dragon smacked both of them away. 

Taking a deep breath, Leo’s Dragon blew his own fire into the Shredder’s, blasting him through some taller buildings, making them collapse. He finally landed and made a mark in the streets. 

Don, Mikey, and Leo all came to see what it looked like. Raph was the next one who tried to make a move on the evil Dragon. He roared as he tried to get a hold on him, but the Shredder hit him in the head and Raph was thrown over some other buildings and he landed on top of a sailboat, sinking it. 

Don and Mikey landed down in front of the Shredder Dragon. Shredder began firing on them. He blew them back over some other buildings. 

Leo’s Dragon looked up as his brothers were blown away. Then it started after him! He dodged the first blast, but he flew a short distance away and the Shredder began firing on him. Leo shielded his face from the angry fire blasts.  
…………

Over at the ruins of the Mayor’s office, where had once been the Shredder’s new castle fortress, Karai had finally gotten her link reestablished. 

Stockman and Chaplin were watching over her. 

“I feel it. I have linked with the Shredder’s energy. And now, he’ll pay!” Karai opened her eyes, and they began to glow green. Green energy began to flow into her once again.  
…………

In the air, Shredder could feel his energy being drained again. He stopped firing long enough for Leo to notice and he took the chance to go charging at the evil Dragon at full force and they rammed through some buildings, landing in one large one. 

There was the sound of glass and stone breaking and smoke went everywhere. 

The Shredder got up and saw the blue Dragon lying next to him, unconscious. He got up and was going to settle with that wretched Karai, once and for all! How dare she steal his energy! 

From his place on the ground, Randall saw where the evil Dragon was heading after he had seen Leo’s Dragon try to take him out and he didn’t. He knew that the Shredder Dragon would be heading for Karai. 

“He’s heading back for Karai. I have to help her.” Randall declared. 

“Be careful, Randall.” the wise rat said. 

The lizard nodded. He then turned and ran back to see if there was anything he could do. 

The Dragon Shredder had just come back to the ruins where Karai, Chaplin and Stockman were. 

Stockman cried out in fear and tried to move, but the Dragon seized him in his mouth! 

“Dr. Stockman!” Chaplin called out and tried to shoot the Shredder. 

Shredder knocked the young scientist away with the flick of his hand. He was knocked into a wall, rendering him unconscious too. Then he bit Stockman’s machine in half. 

Then he began to walk over to Karai, intent on going to eat her! He roared angrily in her face. 

Randall managed to get back to Karai just in time. He saw the Dragon there. He knew what he was going to do was real foolish, but he wasn’t going to let this demon spawn destroy everything! 

This time, Randall didn’t blend. He snarled and ran to attack the Dragon! He jumped onto the Dragon’s head, by the jaw line. He used his own sharp teeth to bite down hard on the throat. 

The Shredder snarled in pain and he raised his head, taking his attention off of Karai for the moment. He backed away trying to deal with the monster on his throat. 

Randall bit as hard as he could, snarling, but then, he felt a swipe against his body. He let go of the throat in pain. He was swiped away by the Shredder’s clawed hand and he was thrown hard into a wall, his back having made contact with it first. His head hit the wall hard, also knocking him unconscious. Some blood came from Randall’s lower back where the claws had slashed him. 

The Shredder Dragon knew he was wounded a little, but it was nothing. He went back to deal with Karai. He thought he had dealt with the lizard finally. 

Just as the evil Dragon was about to bite down on Karai, there were two tails that wrapped around the Shredder Dragon’s upper and lower jaws, and began to pull him upwards. 

Donatello and Raphael had a grip on his jaws. They pulled him up further away from their friends. Mikey then made a charging blow into the Shredder’s chest. He made him go crashing to the ground. 

Karai continued to concentrate her mind. She could feel the energy being drained into her more. 

Mikey got up and watched as the Shredder Dragon began to shrink back to his normal self. He finally was back to normal. He finally stood up. 

Then, Leonardo’s Dragon came down and picked him up and flew him into the air. 

“What? Nooo!” Shredder screamed in rage. 

Leo had him with his back feet. Then, he let go of him. He went flying back toward the ground, but instead, Raph’s Dragon whacked him hard with one of his tails. The Shredder was sent flying back into a wall, hard. 

He got back up again and was ready to use his guantlet to power up a punishment, but he saw his guantlet had come off of him from that last blow. “Huh?” he looked around and saw it lying on the ground a few feet away. 

Mikey picked up the guantlet in his mouth and bit down hard onto it, destroying it. Then, he jumped over at the Shredder, picking him up in his mouth, and he threw him over a few more yards. It made his helmet come off as well. 

Leo slammed his left foot down on the helmet, and roared proudly. 

The Shredder looked in shock and he screamed in pure rage that his helmet was destroyed. He began to run over to Leonardo. 

Just as he was closing in, from above, Don had jumped down on top of him, making a big hole in the ground. The Shredder was stopped for the moment. But now, he was greatly weakened. 

The four Dragons stood around the hole, and then, they began to glow and change back to normal, as turtles. The turtles’ energies were being used once again. Their amulets began to shatter. 

The Shredder looked up angrily. 

From the final amulet and all the energy from the turtles combined, Master Yoshi was once again in front of the Shredder. The demon regained his feet. 

Yoshi held a sword in his right hand. 

“I will fight you, to my very last breath!” Shredder exclaimed angrily, figuring this being was behind everything. 

Yoshi responded with, “This, Demon, is your very last breath!” Then, he leaped into the air and sliced the sword in his hand right through the Shredder’s body straight down the middle. 

The Shredder screamed in pain and rage as he finally felt down in energy pieces, gone for good. 

The turtles were now watching what was going on. They were still in their own energy fields. Yoshi turned to look at them. He placed the tip of his sword on the ground. 

“Master Yoshi.” he heard Splinter say as he came up to him. He smiled at his master. 

Yoshi smiled back at the rat and he gave him a rub on the face. Then he began to evaporate into thin air. 

Splinter gasped. 

The turtles were finally released from the energy fields. They dropped to the ground, making them all grunt in the process. 

“Wow.” Mikey said as he sat up. “That was beyond amazing!” His brothers all looked at him, Leo smiling and agreeing silently. Raph and Don didn’t say anything. 

They all began to cheer finally. “We totally kicked shell, bros!” Mikey stated proudly. 

“Wait, where’s Randall?” Leo asked. 

“He went to go help Karai.” Splinter said. 

“We need to go find him.” Don declared. They all went back to where the castle had been to see it was all in ruins. They saw that Chaplin was helping Karai up. 

Raph spotted Randall by the wall. He was starting to regain his senses, but he was badly hurt. 

“Randall!” Don cried out. The turtles and Splinter ran up to him. 

Raph helped the lizard to his feet. “Can you walk, bud?” he asked in concern. 

Randall held his head. “Think… so.” he muttered. 

“We need to wrap those wounds.” Don admitted, seeing the big slashes across Randall’s lower back. 

Splinter had some bandages and he took them out. Don and him wrapped the lizard’s lower back. They would get some further medical supplies back at the lair. 

The sun was soon up. Everyone was leaving and had regrouped. 

Bishop had called for a chopper to come and get him and his team. Two commandos carried Stockman’s head portion that contained his brain. 

“Come along, Dr. Stockman. That brain of yours is still intact, and I’m not finished with you yet.” Bishop declared. 

Stockman’s image was a little static-like. “It seems the pain will never end.” he admitted as he was carried onto the chopper. It carried them away to wherever their next place would be. 

The Justice Force also rejoined with the turtles for a moment, but then, began to fly back towards the Justice Tower. Silver Sentry paused to tell them. 

“Well, looks like you did it. You turtles saved the world! And I thought that was our job.” Sentry stated. Mikey smiled proudly at him. 

Don had Randall on his feet next to him, walking and standing, supporting his weight. 

“We all did it, together.” Leo proclaimed to the Sentry. 

Sentry saluted them and he flew off to join his fellow justice heroes. 

Then, the four human acolytes came walking up. So, they were alive too? That was good. But they sure had missed the final action. 

“Man, am I glad you guys made it!” Raph declared. 

Joy and Torra were helping Adam walk. Faraji led the way. 

“You better be. You owe us.” Joy replied back sarcastically. 

Then, there came a surprising voice, then everyone glanced over behind them. This was a voice that Randall didn’t recognize though. 

“You have all done well. We are all proud of our acolytes. You have done great things.” It was Kon’s voice! Behind them, Kon, Chikara, Juto, and Hisomi-Shishos were walking toward them. 

The acolytes were all totally shocked. Mikey held his head for a moment, “Hello! Where did you guys come from?!” he exclaimed, pointing. 

Don kept a hold on Randall as he looked at his little brother. “Didn’t we see you get destroyed?” he asked. 

“Have you so soon forgotten your first lesson?” Juto demanded. 

Randall wondered what their first lesson was. 

“Perception is not always truth. All you think you know…” Kon started. 

“About this world, about yourselves, even about reality itself.” Chikara added. 

Leo remembered the rest. “All this and more, will be challenged.” he finished. 

“Indeed.” Kon replied, then he blasted in front of him. There, appeared the Ancient One, alive! 

The old man was holding his back in discomfort. “My back is killing me!” Then he looked up behind him, seeing his masters upside down. He could see them glaring down at him. “Aw! Honored ones, I felt you were near.” he smiled up at them innocently. 

“If you were so near, why didn’t you jump in when we were gettin’ our shells kicked?!” Raph demanded. 

“We knew that the karmic wheel of fate had to turn unhindered by our interference. We were forced to let events unfold as they should.” Kon explained. 

“Yoshi’s demise was a part of that.” Chikara added. 

“As was his coming here to New York as a guardian of the Utroms.” Kon went on. Splinter was listening intently. “For without that, you, Splinter, would not exist.” Splinter opened his eyes. 

“Nor would your sons.” Juto added. 

The turtles, Randall, and the human friends all joined Splinter. 

Master Splinter now felt some true relief that he had some answers as to why everything had played out like it had. But he would still miss Master Yoshi. 

“What will the Tribunal do now?” Splinter asked. 

The four Tribunal members floated into the air. “It is time for us to move on.” Chikara stated. 

“We would be honored, Young One, if you would join us on the Tribunal.” Kon offered the Ancient One. 

“The honor will be all mine.” the Ancient One accepted the offer, then turned to the acolytes and Splinter and Randall. “Splinter, you are family.” he said with a tear in his eye. He wiped it away. “I will miss you.” he admitted with a smile. 

Splinter came over to him and kneeled in respect. “And I you, old friend.”

“And I trust you five will stay out of trouble?” he questioned the reptilian friends. 

They all had smiles on, Randall too, despite his injuries. “Hey, it’s us. We hate trouble.” Mikey remarked sarcastically. 

“Of course, you do.” the Ancient One used some of that same humor. Then, he too, floated into the air to be with his masters. They all flew high into the sky and disappeared. They were just going back home to Japan. 

Karai and Chaplin had been captivated by what had just happened, and had remained silent, until now. “So, what now, Mistress?” Chaplin asked. 

Karai took his hand. “It is a new day, Dr. Chaplin. Let us see what it brings.” she replied, but before they began leaving, she whispered to Leo. “Thank Randall for trying to save me.” She smiled and then, she and Chaplin began walking off into the sunshine, together. 

Leo led the way and the others began to follow him. Don kept helping Randall, with Raph now joining him. Joy and Torra kept helping Adam. They were going to head over to April’s first, and then the lair. 

“So, who’s hungry?” Mikey exclaimed, holding his stomach. 

Splinter smiled. “Michelangelo, my sons, Randall, whatever you would like, it is on me.” he stated. “All of you, come. Let us celebrate. Together.” 

The sun shined down on the city on New York proudly. It had been saved from true evil that could have destroyed everything on Earth. 

Only time would tell what their further adventures would be. But Randall and Adam both would also be fine and recover from their injuries. 

On the way back to the lair, Randall had to tell his friends something. “I thought I lost you guys when I saw you dead.” he admitted. 

“We were, but Yoshi brought us back.” Leo said. 

“Did you see anything on the other side?” Randall asked, curious. 

“Yes. We were told it wasn’t our time yet, and we still had much to accomplish in this life.” Don said. 

“What was it like?” 

“It was like, our bodies were just floating, and no pain. It was strange, but a good strange.” Raph admitted. 

“We were just glad to be able to come back. What would this city be without us?” Mikey asked. 

“I would have missed you greatly.” Splinter said. 

“I would have too.” Randall admitted. “You guys are now my brothers. My father, my family.” 

“And so are you, Randall.” Splinter said happily. “You did well in the battle too. You did what you had to do, despite how it turned out for you.” 

“We’ll get you well again.” Don said with a smile. 

“Before she walked away, Karai also said to thank you for saving her.” Leo smiled. 

Randall smiled. He had found his true family among these mutants. He had a life that he would be happy to keep. He and his family continued on to April’s and from there, the lair for the medical treatment. Leatherhead was there to help out too. He was glad they were all okay after what they had finished. LH had been on standby. They would have a victory feast after Randall’s treatment. 

The date for winning back their freedom was July the 4th. Such the right day to be called Independence Day! 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have enjoyed writing this story, and thus it has been my first longest story ever written. Look forward to part three very soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review if you can. I like to see feedback. It just always makes the story better.


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